Kingdom Hearts: Live or Die Part 3 - Sacrifice
by krazykeybladegal
Summary: Continuing right after Part 2, Sora is sent on another quest to gather up the remaining members of his family. He is faced with more obstacles from the Darkness and is burdened with the task to destroy Kiari. More secrets are reavealed and more questions arise from Sora's encounters as he wonders or not if he can finish the tasks given to him. (OC's from games/anime are in this.)
1. Chapter 1 - Gathering Together

**Prologue**

There was only one more thing that was left for Sora to do.

Surrender.

But, after everything he'd been through. After all of his struggling and all of his fighting, he couldn't just give up. There had to be another option. He stared at the brute that was holding him down and at the sword that was lingering over his body.

He caught his own reflection off of the sword and then somehow came up with an idea. His heart protested against it, but what he thought of was the only way to get away. It was the only way to free himself from Kiari's clutches. If she got her hands on him, the world would be in even worse ruin.

Taking a deep breath, Sora readied himself. He knew exactly what he had to do.

**Day 18**

**Gathering Together**

_"__So, I'm curious, what are you going to do now?"_

"Why didn't you tell me that Sota was going to die, Fate? Why?"

_"__Like I said before, it's a rule; I cannot tell mortals of their future."_

"You could have still stopped him from dying. It was your choice to choose whether he'd be killed or not, and you let him die."

_"__He died protecting you, Sora. You can't change that now. You can't change the Fate that I have already chosen."_

"Shut up, I don't feel like cooperating with Fate."

_"__That's harsh. I was the one who saved your ass the last few times you were in trouble, and this is my thanks. I could erase you with the snap of my finger."_

"Then why don't you do so?"

_"__I've already picked what I'm going to do with you."_

"Just leave me alone and get out of my head. I have a lot of thinking I need to do."

_"__Suite yourself. But, next time, don't come crying to me when you need help."_

"Don't worry. I won't."

The rain had finally stopped and Sora was back in Bardroy's house, sitting on the front porch. If he entered the house now, it felt as if he were intruding. Even though Bardroy was his uncle, he had never met the man and didn't know whether he'd feel good or not about Sora snooping through his things.

Sora looked up at the dark sky that was now finally starting to grow light. _It's morning now. I guess I should get moving. My family. . ._

_They're out there somewhere. I have to find them._

He stood up and then headed off into the woods. _So, four siblings. . . Two brothers. Two sisters. This shouldn't be too hard. But. . . I have to find them first. Sota said that Sanji and Savannah were in an orphanage. That may be a problem. . . Where are they now? Sora Lee is in the castle, but what about Samantha? Shoot, this may be harder than I thought._

It didn't take long for Sora to spot the doorway that led back to the Dominion of Darkness. He eyed the keyhole in the tree and summoned his Keyblade. He quickly spun around when he thought he heard a noise behind him.

"Sota?" He looked around. "Sota?" He lowered his head sadly, remembering well that his father was dead. _Get him out of your mind Sora. . . He's gone._ Pointing his Keyblade at the tree engraved with the keyhole, Sora watched as a bright light shot out and then flowed into the the keyhole. The light expanded, creating a large doorway.

Sora immediately stepped through.

The Hell on earth was just as Sora remembered it; hellish and dark.

Sora stared at the area. He was standing just outside the creepy forest that him and Riku had arrived in so long ago. Ahead of him, somewhat off in the distance, was Kiari's Kavern. The large castle towered over mostly everything in the area.

Sneaking closer to the castle took some work, but it was worth it because nothing had tried to stop him. _I can't just go through the front door. . . _Sora thought, staring at the lowered drawbridge. _There has to be another way inside. A back door maybe._

Sora hid in the trees and walked closer to the side of the castle. He quickly dashed across the open area and jumped into the river that flowed past the castle so he wouldn't get spotted. When he made sure the coast was clear, he climbed out of the river and then raced over the the stone wall. Looking around first, he slowly edged around the castle. He had to be careful not to take a wrong step; one fault and he would fall into the chasm.

His heart started to ache when he stared down at it, but he didn't know why. That was when he remembered that Riku was down there somewhere. Sora swallowed and then quickly turned his attention back to finding another way into Kiari's Kavern. The only way for Sora to avenge his friend was to defeat Kiari. But first, he had to find a way to her chamber.

Sora stopped when he got to a corner and then carefully peered around it. What he was looking at must have been the Courtyard of the castle. The chasm that took up most of the left area of the Dominion of Darkness somewhat cut into the right of the area, making a large cliff.

Nobody was in the courtyard, so Sora advanced deeper into it. Straight ahead, he recognized the exit to the treacherous Labyrinth. And, from what Sota said, this is where he saw Sora Lee, standing in the window. Looking up at the lightened windows, Sora waited. There was no movement whatsoever.

The entrance to the courtyard led into the castle, and he knew that that was where he needed to go. If Sora Lee was there only about two days ago, odds were, he was still in there somewhere. As he went to enter Kiari's layer, something caught his eye. Looking over his shoulder, Sora turned around when he saw another lighted up building. It wasn't too far away.

_That's funny. . . Sota never mentioned that building before. . . _Studying the path that led up to the building, it looked like it was rarely used. _I wonder what's up there. . . Maybe Sota never even saw that place before. . . Or maybe he didn't mention it for a reason. . ._

Sora sighed. _Where to go. . ? The Kavern, or that building? _Just as Sora went to enter the Kavern, he heard footsteps.

Someone was heading his way from inside the building.

Praying that whoever it was didn't see him, Sora quickly dived to the left and ran around the corner of the castle where he had come from. Careful not to take the wrong step into the chasm, Sora peeked one eye back towards the courtyard.

It was a man. He wasn't young, but he wasn't old either; about the same age as Sota. He stood still for a moment and scratched his head, his fingers running through his silvery blonde hair. He glanced around the area at first, and then turned his attention to the mysterious building to the right of Kiari's Kavern. He sighed and then headed towards the path. Sora heard him muttering, "Damn bitch. . . Ordering me around. . . Who the hell does she think she is? I'm the one in charge." Whoever it was walked slowly, as if he were taking his good old time to get up to that unknown structure.

_Who is that. . ? I've never seen him before. . . If he heading towards that building, then I want to know why. _His curiosity getting the best of him, Sora slowly trailed behind the man. The man only stopped once, glancing back and forth.

_Damn it. . . I need to be more quiet or else he might just realize that I'm following him. _When he got closer to the building, Sora paused.

In size, the structure wasn't as big as Kiari's Kavern, but it exceeded any house by a long shot. Bars made it impossible to enter or escape from any windows. The entrance had two guards standing next to it. The man approached them and then began speaking.

As hard as Sora tried to listen, he was too far away to hear anything he said. The guards let the man in and then resumed their positions. Sora bit his lip and tried to think of a way to enter the building. Staying hidden in the trees, he walked around the entire place, but couldn't find anymore doors.

Sora sighed. _How can I get in? Maybe I can create some kind of diversion. But what. . ? _After a few more moments of thinking, he finally got an idea. Summoning his Keyblade, he pointed it to the right of the building. "Firaga," he commanded in a whisper. The large ball of fire shot in the air at a quick speed and then flew over the building over into a patch of trees. An explosion sounded off when it made contact with its target.

The two guards at the door immediately looked the way where the explosion had occurred.

"What was that?"

"It sounded like an explosion."

"Explosion? Don't tell me Sanji's lashing out again."

Sora paused when he heard his brother's name.

"Damn. . . He could have gotten out again. We'd better hurry up and check it out."

"Let's go."

The two men ran off and then Sora slipped inside the building, closing the door behind him quietly. _Sanji. . . Does that mean he's here. . ? I'd better take a look around. I may just find him if I'm lucky. And Savannah too._

When he stepped deeper into the unknown place, uneasiness spread throughout his body. _What. . . What is this place? _Although he was only at the entryway, the place he was in didn't look welcoming. Not one bit.

He slowly advanced down the first corridor he saw, which was, he dare say it, almost as gloomy as the Labyrinth. He found himself walking carefully down a hall with many rooms. Each of the doors were sealed tightly. On each door, there was a small window where you could look in. Standing on the tips of his toes, he looked through the glass of one of the rooms. A set of eyes looked up at him, and along with the eyes was a face twisted with fear and insanity. Sora stepped away from the door with a jump.

Whoever it was, he didn't look friendly at all. Just his normal gaze was enough to send Sora on his way. He continued on down. Once he went around the corner, there seemed to be more life wandering around. Dead silence was replaced by some people speaking to each other. Another sound that Sora could hear was screaming.

Tortured cries.

Profanities.

Pleads.

As if the place could get anymore creepy, most of the people walking by looked like they were scientists. One that walked by had a set of needles with him. He paid Sora no mind and continued on his way. Occasionally, different people dressed in rugged clothing would drag on by. Sora almost approached one of them, but the bags under his eyes and the dark look on his face told him that he wasn't the right person he should speak to.

Finally, a less crazed man walked by. By the look of what he was wearing, Sora could tell that he was scientist, but he looked a lot more nicer then most of the other ones. But even Sora knew that looks could be deceiving.

"Excuse me," Sora started, "but could you please tell me what this building is used for?"

The scientist blinked. He eyed Sora over and then frowned. "You're not an orphan here are you? You're an intruder!"

Sora's eyes widened and his heart sank. He knew that it was probable that he would get caught, but not that quickly.

The scientist quickly fumbled in his pocket for something and then pulled out a sharp object, a syringe with a strange pink liquid in it. Before Sora could pull away, the man latched onto his wrist.

His grip was pretty strong for the size he was. He tried desperately to tug away from the man, but more men wearing matching outfits came over to aid the scientist.

"Wait! You're making a big mis~" A hand was placed over Sora's mouth before he could say anymore. His limbs were secured quickly.

"Sedate him. We'll report to Hojo about it later. He's in a meeting right now." Sora felt the needle from the syringe jab into his arm. When the bright colored liquid flowed into his body, he immediately was immobile. The room started to spin around crazily and his vision went half blurry. His legs gave out from beneath him but he was still conscious.

A few of the men around him hoisted him up and then started to carry him off. He tried to speak but the only sounds that came out of his mouth were a few inaudible moans. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Sora was sat down on something long and metal. He could feel thick leather being tied around his wrists and ankles. He was being strapped to a table.

The blurriness in his eyes started to subside after awhile. The feeling in his limbs returned shortly too. He was finally able to lift his head. _D-damn. . . What was that. . ? I have needles. . . I hate shots. I have syringes. . . I hate going to the doctor. . . But still, what the hell do you call that? I just asked a simple question and I get a needle in the arm? What kind of place is this? Is this supposed to be the orphanage that Dad dropped Sanji and Savannah off in? They did mention something about me not being an orphan. . . This has to be the right place. But this place isn't an orphanage, is it? It seems like a prison more than anything._ Trying to move his limbs, Sora fought against the leather that bound his arms to the table he was on. _I have got to get out here. . . But how?_

As if his questions were just answered, somebody walked through the door into the room. It was girl. Her long brown hair was hanging down to her chest and her eyes sparkled a deep green color. She wandered over to the table that Sora was strapped to. "Oh, so you're already awake. Those other boys said that they found some intruder, but I expected someone more older and matured. . ."

Sora shifted and finally spoke. "Who are you? And what is this place?"

"You're here and you don't even know why? Well, this place belongs to Hojo. He's a scientist. He conducts experiments on us orphans for science. He probably plans to use you for same of them to," she explained. "Oh, and my name's Savannah." She smiled beautifully and leaned over him. She traced his lips with her finger. "Savannah Davidson."

Blinking rapidly, Sora smiled. "You're Savannah? Yes! I found you!"

Savannah stood back up erect. "You were looking for me?"

Nodding, Sora answered, "I was. Does that mean Sanji's here too?"

She nodded in reply.

"That's great! I know that it's short notice but I need you two to come with me."

"Why?" Savannah questioned.

Sora bit his lip. He didn't want to explain the reasons until he had everyone together. "Listen, you want to get out here, don't you? I can help you and Sanji. This place looks more like a prison then an orphanage, so if I help you escape, will you come with me then?"

Savannah thought for a moment. "Only if my brother comes with us."

Sora nodded. "I won't leave without both of you."

"Then you have a deal. Help my brother and I get out here and I'll go with you."

Smiling, Sora said, "Gotcha. Now, can you please help me out of these restraints?"

"Okay. Just give me a second." She struggled to unclasp the leather but she finally managed. Savannah pulled away the restraints and then Sora was finally free.

He got onto his feet and stretched. Shaking his head, Sora advanced over towards the doorway. "Do you know where the entrance is?"

Savannah nodded. "I do."

"Okay, at least when we're ready to leave we have someone who knows where the exit is," Sora said. Just as he and his older sister were about to walk out of the room, the whole building suddenly shook. Sora caught the wall before he could fall onto the floor. "What was that?"

"I'm not sure. . . Let's hurry upstairs." The two of them ran up the stairs that led back up to a different set of hallways. Scientists were running back and forth down the halls, all of them in a frenzy. Savannah stopped one of them.

"What's going on?"

"There's a fight in one of the rooms," the man replied and then went on his way. Smoke was filling the halls and fire could be seen on the other end of the corridor. Sora grabbed his sister's arm.

"We need to get out here! The place is on fire!"

"But what about my brother? What about Sanji!" Savannah panicked.

An explosion sounded off just down the hallway, sending chunks of stone and smoke flying in every direction. "There's no time!" Sora told her. "We have to leave now!"

"But~"

"Let's go!" Sora pulled her along and then ran down another corridor. "Which way to the exit?"

Savannah looked around. "Um. . ." Studying the walls carefully, she pointed down the hallway. "Just down there. We turn right and then the entrance should be there!" The two ran, and sure enough, the entrance was exactly where Savannah said it would be.

Just as they got far enough away from the building, part of the roof blew off and then the flames were out of control. The building was finished no matter what way you looked at it.

Sora coughed and then gasped for breath. It had been hard to breathe in the building with all the smoke clogging up the halls. Savannah had her hands clutched to her chest and was staring at the flaming structure. "I'm finally free. . ." She was whispering to herself.

Standing up, the spiky-haired boy advanced towards her. "You all right?" he asked, putting his hand on her shoulder.

She nodded. "I am, thanks. But still. . . Sanji's in there somewhere. .. We have to go back."

"I'm sorry, but we can't do that. The building's to dangerous to enter now," Sora told her, eying the flames that were already climbing towards the clouds.

"I can't leave this place without my brother!" Savannah protested. "You promised! Sanji wouldn't leave me if he had the chance to get out. We have to go back for him!"

Sora turned around. "Are you sure he's in there? The place is being destroyed. . . Don't you think that he would take this chance to escape?"

"Well. . . Maybe. . . But. . ."

"Exactly. If you guys have been stuck here for years, then he knows that this is the only chance he could have to escape. I'm sure that he knows you'd try to escape too."

"But what if~"

"Don't worry about it. If he didn't get out, then we'll go back for him," Sora told her. "But for now, I want to head to the castle."

Savannah turned her attention to the castle that wasn't too far away. "What's down there?" she asked. "I've haven't left Hojo's building for twelve years. . . I've always wondered what or who lived there."

"Well, now's your chance. But, we have to be careful. Kiari lives there and~"

"Kiari?"

Sora took a deep breath and sighed; he had a lot of explaining to do. "Look, I don't have the time to explain everything to you right now. Let's just say that Kiari is our villain. She's the strongest person I've ever fought and she's behind all of this Darkness. Once I gather everyone I'm looking for and get to a safer place, I'll explain everything."

Savannah nodded. "I guess that you did save me. . . You freed me from a Hell that I thought I would never escape. Thank you. Sanji and I are in your debt. I'll do whatever you want, and I'm sure Sanji will too."

"You're welcome," Sora replied. "But, I hate to break it to you, this is the Dominion of Darkness. It's more of a Hell than Hojo had you in, I'm certain."

Savannah shrugged. "Well, I'll be the judge of that."

"Fair enough. Now, let's get moving. Like I said, we're likely to run into Sanji later, so for now I'll just skip ahead to the next person on my list," Sora told her.

Savannah tilted her head. "And who's that?"

"You should know him," Sora told her. "It's your brother, Sora Lee."

Savannah paused. "L-Lee? But. . . But he's gone. . ."

Furrowing his brow, Sora thought. _How unorganized are these people? I guess that it has been a long time since they have seen the rest of their family. I wonder if they'll remember each other. _"What happened to Sora Lee that it made you think he was dead?"

"He ran away when we were younger. We never saw him again after that. He just disappeared," Savannah explained. "We just figured that he was dead. But now that you say he's alive. . . Are you sure? I mean, you could be mistaken. . ."

Sora shook his head. If Sota had been telling the truth, then the boy known as Sora Lee was in Kiari's Kavern. "From the information I got, he has to be there. He's just gotta be."

Savannah's green eyes stared into his. "I'm just curious, but where did you say that you got this information from?"

"Don't you trust me?" Sora said it a little more harsher than he wanted to.

He saw the girl that was his sister tense. "I'm. . . I'm sorry," she lowered her head. "I was just curious. . . I guess that I should be quiet."

Sora walked over to her. "No, I'm sorry. I know that it's hard for you to believe me when I'm just a stranger. But you just have to trust me, okay? I promise that I'm on your side. I'll explain everything later, but for now I can at least say this; all I'm trying to do is reconnect the bonds that have been severed. Everything will make sense once I gather everyone I need together and explain. I swear, if you don't believe me then, you can go your separate ways."

Savannah scratched her head and Sora knew that she was thinking about what he had said. "You know. . . You seem like a really nice boy," Savannah told him. She stepped towards him.

It was at that moment Sora realized how much taller she was than he. Backing into a tree, Sora felt his heart race.

She leaned over, her chest pressing against him. "You're really cute too. Maybe. . . To repay for busting me out and freeing me from Hojo, I could give you something of more value." Sora's cheeks flared red. He had never been this close to a woman before. Savannah cupped his chin and forced him to look into her seductive green eyes. She brushed some of his bangs out of his face. "Well? What do you say?"

"Uh. . . Um. . ." Sora stammered. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of his head and his heart was beating as fast as a predator running after its prey. Savannah was his biological sister, which made the situation a thousand times more awkward. "Um. . . That's okay. . ." Sora stepped away from her and managed a small smile. "But my heart already belongs to someone else."

Savannah blinked. "Oh. . ." The look on her face was one of surprise. "I-I'm sorry. . . I just didn't expect. . . Oh. . ."

"It's okay. . ." Sora smiled and then said, "Well, let's head to that castle anyway." When he turned around, his smile immediately turned into a sad frown. His gaze was cast downward towards the ground for a moment. A thought lingered in the back of his mind. Indeed, his heart did belong to another, but that certain someone was already gone; never to be seen again.

_Who knows what they're doing to her. . . I have to find her, and quickly. _

The man had been searching for his precious little girl for almost two days now. Although he was being as stealthy as anyone could be, he was growing incredibly impatient. The thought that someone could have been hurting his daughter overwhelmed him to the brink of rage, but he was doing everything he could to hold it in.

He cursed himself for not jumping that spiky-haired boy who had been walking around the perimeter of the castle only a few hours ago. He could have took him as a hostage and forced him to take him to his little Emily.

Two days and not one clue to where she was. Although he had been in the castle once before, it had been a long time ago. The castle was too big to memorize in just one visit.

_Where did they take her? Where is she? Is she safe? _Those three questions were driving him crazy. If he could just find one clue. . . One simple clue. . .

Footsteps were heading towards him. Quickly, he paused and didn't make a sound. He was already above the normal hallway floor, walking along a small spot along the wall where he could around silently and be unnoticeable.

Three people were walking around the corner. Two girls and a boy. The man's heart lurched. One of those girls had been one of the ones who had taken his daughter. As mush as he wanted to attack the threesome, he waited. He had to be sure.

"Hey Amalia," a girl with red hair began, "Where were you a couple of nights ago?"

"Mistress Kiari had Viola and I out on a mission," the other girl replied.

"What kind of mission?" the large boy asked.

"I'm not really sure. All we had to do was kidnap some little girl who lived in a forest. It was pretty easy. But I am curious about what the Mistress wants with her."

The man's pulse quickened. They had to know where she was. After two days of lying low and keeping himself hidden, this was his only chance. Before the three could continue their conversation, the man jumped down from where he was hiding and readied his Keyblade for a vertical slash.

Amalia blocked the weapon that had tried to attack her from above. The man landed on the ground and then slashed at her. She attempted to block the next attack but succeeded in getting her shoulder sliced. The man gave her a shove back. Before the boy in the room could act, the man spun his weapon in a circle above his head and commanded, "Fire!"

A wall of fire circled around him and the red-haired girl. She tried to run, but a Keyblade was pointed at her throat before she could move. The scorching barrier around her was entirely made of hot flames which could sear her skin within seconds. She was trapped.

_Good, while I interrogate this girl, the other boy and girl won't be able to interrupt me. Unless they want to get severely burned, then I doubt they'll try to run through this. _Continuing to point his Keyblade at her neck, he asked, "Where is the girl that you took hostage?" When she didn't reply, he tried again. "Well, where is she?"

The girl clenched her teeth and spat, "Piss off, bastard!"

The man frowned and narrowed his eyes. He poked the soft flesh of her neck with the tip of his sharp weapon. He was through being nice. "Tell me now, damn it!" he yelled. "Where is my daughter!?"

"The hell if I know!"

He was about to reply in a protest when someone came charging through the wall of flames that the man had created. Whoever it was must have weighed a ton because when he slammed into him, the man was sent flying off of his feet. He toppled and tumbled down the corridor until he smashed into a wall.

The man moaned and then slowly got onto his hands and knees. _D-Damn it. . . Who the hell was that. . ? I don't~ Shit! _The boy who had slammed into him was the same one who was with the two girls. He looked like a normal guy, but now, it was known that he was stronger then most people. For as big as the boy was, he must have been able to run pretty fast because he was already next to the guy he had just launched down the hallway.

Before he could react, the boy grabbed him by the scruff of the shirt and then gave him a forceful toss. He crashed into a wall and then into the next wall of a different room after that. Landing onto the floor of the next room, the man groaned and then muttered a curse. _Who the hell is that kid. . ? He's so strong. . . Kind of reminds me of Darren. . . And if he's like Darren, well, I'd better just stay away from him._

The man stood up as quickly as he could. _I know that it's ridiculous, but that boy could probably kill me if I'm not careful. I think that I'll just be better if I flee. I have to hurry up and find Emily._

As he ran off, another thought crossed his mind. _I didn't see or hear anything about Joshua yet._

_Let's hope I don't._

"Now, I'll take the lead, okay?" Sora told his sister.

Savannah nodded. "Okay."

"Just listen to me and we should be all right." Taking the lead, Sora went ahead. They slowly and cautiously sneaked down corridor after corridor. "Hang on," Sora said, sticking out his hand to halt his sister's movements. "Someone's heading this way. I can hear them."

Savannah leaned against the wall, trying to be as silent as possible. Sora peered around the corner and when he did, someone zoomed passed him and continued running straight.

It was a man. He didn't hesitate to continue dashing away. Next, coming down the hallway, was a large group of people. Sora recognized them as Kiari's lackeys. As for the man, he didn't get a good enough look at him to know.

When the fifth person went to run by, he stopped, put his hands on his knees and then started panting heavily. Sora blinked; it was the ebony-haired boy, Zack. He glanced at Sora and then stood up tall, a face full of surprise on his face. Two more people raced up to him, a boy and a girl. The boy had green hair and Sora knew that it was definitely Amiamon. The girl had purple hair and for who she was, Sora didn't know.

"Hey. . . Wait a second. . ." the girl began. "That's Sora! That's the boy that the Mistress is after!"

Sora's heart sank. If he was caught, then he would be imprisoned for who knew how long. It wouldn't be long after that when he was taken to Kiari. And he knew that if Kiari captured him now, then the chances of him escaping were pretty low.

"Let's get him!" Zack shouted, pointing at him. Amiamon and the other girl took the lead, Zack attempting to keep up behind them.

_Oh crap. _Sora quickly spun himself around and ran as fast as he could.

Savannah closed her eyes and prayed that the three who were after Sora didn't want anything to do with her. She had just escaped one psychopath and she certainly didn't need to be claimed by another one. She hoped that whoever Kiari was and whatever she was after, it didn't have anything to do with her.

Thankfully, the three passed by her with hardly any hesitation. The strange green-haired boy had paused for a moment, but then he had turned back to his main target and raced off. Sighing a breath of relief, Savannah slowly went to check and see if anyone else was running down the corridor.

Just as she looked around the corner, some body crashed into her. Whoever it was didn't fall, but she was sent toppling to the floor. Putting her hand to her head to feel the bump that was forming on the back of her skull, Savannah looked up at who had collided with her.

It was a boy and he looked to be about the same age as her older brother, Sanji. He was gazing down at her with his blue eyes. "Oh, I'm sorry!" he quickly apologized. "I didn't know you were there!" He extended his hand and Savannah took it without delay.

When he pulled her up, she noticed the muscular build in his broad frame. She couldn't help to smile a bit. She had to be at least a bit lucky. Of all people to run into, she ran into the this one.

"Again, I'm sorry," he apologized. "But I have to be going." He started off.

"H-Hey wait!" Savannah called after him. "Don't you want to like. . . I don't know, hang out or something?"

The boy blinked. "Uh. . . Sorry. . . But I have other matters to attend to. It was nice meeting you."

Savannah called after him again. "Wait! What's your name?"

He looked over his shoulder and before he ran off, replied, "Ryan Thompson!"

_Ryan Thompson, huh? _Savannah smiled dreamily. He was perfect.

Ryan was already around the corner by the time she ran after him.

Swerving around the next corner, Sora continued to run. The three lackeys of Kiari were still chasing him, and they were catching up quickly. He knew that in only a few moments, he would be caught.

He rounded the corner, but when he went to continue on running, something snagged the hood of his jacket and jerked him into one of the rooms. Sora landed on the floor with a thud and then heard a door slamming after that. The sound of footsteps rushing by echoed through the hallways.

"Wow. I don't know what you did, but whatever it was, you must have upset them. I haven't seen that much motivation since I got here."

Sora looked upward and stared into another set of blue eyes. A girl was staring down at him. Sora stood up and then brushed the dust off of himself. "Thanks for that," he said. "I would have been caught if it wasn't for you."

"No problem," the girl smiled back. "But can I ask, who are you? It's obvious that you don't work for Kiari."

"I'm Sora." He took the girls hand in his own and shook it. "It's nice to meet you. And no, I'm not with Kiari. She's been after me for awhile now."

"Why?"

"It's a long story. . . But can I ask, who are you?"

The girl brushed some of her blonde hair behind her ear. "Samantha. I've been~"

Sora blocked out the girls words as she spoke. _Samantha. . . _Blinking, he eyed the girl. Her hair was blonde like Sota's, and her eyes were the same shade of blue as his mother. But that could have all just been a coincidence, so he decided to search for the main clue.

His eyes skimmed to her neck, where he found what he was looking for. Dangling by a silver chain was a shiny crown charm. There was no doubt about it. This girl was his younger sister. He had found her.

"~but either way, that's how I ended up here." Samantha stopped to breath.

Sora shook his head and blinked. "Huh? What'd you say? I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention."

The blonde faced palmed. "Really? You didn't hear any of that?"

"No. . . Sorry, I dazed out. I was thinking of something else. . ."

"Basically, all I said was that I'm traveling from world to world fighting the Darkness. That's how I ended up here."

"Oh." Sora nodded. "Well, I'm afraid that this isn't the best place to be."

"I'm starting to think the same thing. I've been eavesdropping on some of the people here, and their conversations don't sound very welcoming. Something about trying to capture a boy for the so-called Mistress and some other junk about opening the door to Kingdom Hearts. I don't know what~"

The spiky-haired boy cut her off. "What? Kingdom Hearts? What did they say about it?"

The thirteen-year-old blinked. "Huh? I'm not quite sure. They were interrupted by someone else before they went on. It was something about opening Kingdom Hearts. That's all I heard. After that, some big dude went running in ranting about an intruder in the castle. A man."

_Maybe he's the one that they were all chasing before. . . The guy that ran passed me. I didn't get a good look at him but now I wish I did. _"Hey uh. . . Sam. . . Do you care if I call you Sam?"

"Whatever fits."

"Okay, well Sam, I know that we just met and all but I need you to come with me."

Sam narrowed her eyes. "Why?"

"It's just that. . . Well. . ." Sora sighed. "It's complicated. I know that it's hard to believe, but I really need you to come with me now. You're apart of something that is too big to explain right now. Please, you have to come."

"Prove it."

Sora held his necklace up and showed her the crown charm. "You have one just like this. Tell me, where'd you get yours?"

The girl blinked and then ran her fingers over her necklace's shiny surface. "I'm not really sure, actually. I've had it for as long as I can remember."

"So have I. These symbols, these crowns are the proof that we're connected somehow. I know it sounds stupid and weird, but you have to believe me!" Sora pleaded.

Sam was quiet for a few moments, as if thinking over what he had to say. She cracked her neck. "Fine. But if I want to back out, you can't stop me. I'll go as far as I need to."

A large smile spread out across Sora's face. "Really? You'll come."

"Didn't you hear me the first time?"

Sora jumped up and punched the air. "Yeah!" he shouted happily. Once both of his feet were back on the ground, he began, "Come on. I still have to find some other people. I promise that I'll explain everything once I can."

"Yeah, yeah. Let's get moving."

Sora entered the hallway first, being as cautious as he could be. There was no sign of the three people who were chasing him. He motioned for Sam to come out and follow him. She did so and then the two them went the opposite way Kiari's lackeys had gone.

No words were spoken between them until Sam asked, "Can you at least tell me why those people were after you?"

Sora looked over his shoulder. His heart ached when he answered her. "The person who owns this castle is Kiari. She used to be one of my best friends. . . But now she's given into the Darkness and she's. . . Well. . . She's evil."

"Oh. . . I'm sorry."

"It's fine. . . I'm kind of used to it now. . . Besides, I have a more important task to tend to right now," Sora told her. "I'm just hoping that I can finish what I came her for and get out of this hell of a castle. That's all I want for right now."

"I agree. Well, if there's anything that I can help you with then feel free to ask."

"Okay. Hmm. . ." Sora racked his brain for a question that maybe Sam would know the answer to. "Do you know anyone named Sanji? What about Sora Lee? And have you seen a girl walking around here somewhere by the name of Savannah? She's a brunette with green eyes. We were together earlier, but when that group of pawns came after me, we got separated."

She thought for a few moments. Shaking her head, she apologized, "Sorry, I don't know who any of those people are. I haven't been here for long, so I don't know who's here and who's not. And I didn't see your friend, Savannah, either."

Sora let out a deep sigh. "It's fine. I was just asking. They have to be here somewhere, I just don't know whe~"

"There he is!"

Spinning around, Sora immediately locked eyes with Amiamon, who was already running at him, Zack and the other girl following not far behind. "Run!" he quickly told his sister. The two of them ran as fast as they could side by side.

"Well, it didn't take long for them to find us!" Sam stated.

"That's the problem! Every time I seem to get away from them, they just always find a way to track me down!" Sora shouted back to her.

"What should we do?"

"They're after me, not you. Whenever you get the chance, I want you to go down a different corridor and then try to get to the entrance of the castle. Hide in the trees around the border of the forest. I'll meet you there whenever I can."

Sam nodded, showing that she understood. "Don't get caught." Whenever there was a fork in the path ahead of them, Sora went left and then Sam quickly ran down the right hallway. To Sora's thankfulness, no one went after her.

_Good, now if I could just ditch these guys again I should be good. But that's the only problem. . . _He kept on running as fast as he could. When he saw someone coming up ahead, he was challenged to slow down, but he knew that if he did, he would be captured instantly. So on he went.

It was the man who had walked up to Hojo's prison. The one with the silvery blonde hair from before. He made no move, only looked down the corridor at Sora with a look of confusion on his face. He seemed to be in deep thought.

_He's not paying attention to me. . . I can use this to my advantage! Finally, someone I can escape without having to worry about him trying to cap~_

At the last moment, as Sora was running past him, he stuck his foot out and tripped him. Crashing onto the floor, Sora did a tumble and then finally slid to a stop. The breath was knocked out of him so he couldn't get up right away. Just as he was about to scramble away, Amiamon and the girl restrained him. Sora tried to pull away from them and run off, but they secured his limbs and made sure that escape was impossible.

Sora watched as Zack turned to the man who had tripped him. He panted and took in a breath. "Thanks Dad."

"No problem, Zack," the man replied.

Thoughts and questions rushed into Sora's head. Was that man Ryan, Zack, and Taylor's father? If so, was he on Kiari's side?

The sixteen-year-old stared into the man's violet eyes. The only thing that he could see was a slight look of recognition that had spread across the guy's face. Sora stared him down until he was pulled around the corner and the man was out of sight.

The dungeon was cold and damp. When Zack, Amiamon and the girl dragged Sora down there, they pulled him the back of the room. They shoved him onto the ground. Metal shackles were clamped around his wrists which were secured behind his back. Something else was fastened around his waist, hooking him to the wall. His legs were tied together with simple rope, but it was so tight that the circulation in his legs could have been cut off at any moment.

After the three of Kiari's henchmen walked out of the cell, Zack pulled a ring of keys out of his pocket. He inserted one of them, a small gold key, into the lock and then latched the door shut. "Well, we got Sora, so what should we do now?" Zack asked. "Have any idea, Viola?"

"Well, it's obvious that we should tell Mistress Kiari that we have captured the boy who she's after," the girl replied. "So, I guess we should go do that, then. What do you think Amiamon?"

"Do what you like with him," the green-haired boy replied. "I'm done here."

Viola raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean you're done here?"

"I'm tired. I'm going to bed." He walked out of the dungeon without another word.

The purple-haired girl turned to the middle Thompson boy. "What's his problem?"

"He's always like that," Zack replied. "You get used to it."

"I guess that I'll go tell the Mistress that we caught him."

"I think I'll join you."

Sora sent Zack and Viola a glare as they walked out of the dungeon. He rested his head against the wall once they were gone and sighed deeply. What was he supposed to do now? Escaping himself was out of the question, and the possibility of someone rescuing him was at a low percentage.

_Damn it. . . How am I supposed to get out of here? _He lowered his head and let out another sad sigh. He thought about Riku and how much he missed him. He prayed that somehow he was alive and well, even if he was in another world. But that wasn't possible, because Sora knew too well that he was gone.

He remembered the promise that he had made to Sota, about never letting the Darkness get a hold of him again. That was about to be broken. In only moments, Kiari would know that he was at the Kavern and then he would have no more hope left. Once she knew, she'd do whatever she wanted with him and then that would be the end of it.

Just as Sora went to lie his head against the stone and close his eyes, he heard the door to the dungeon open. He feared that it was Kiari, but for once, he was thankful that he was wrong. Flexis, Zack, and a few other people were struggling to drag a man down the steps and put him into a cell. Once they got about halfway into the room, he kicked a girl in the jaw and then pulled away from Flexis. The man darted out of the room and within seconds, the others were already chasing him.

Not that long passed and then they came back down the dungeon stairs dragging the man with them again. This time, they were able to get him in the cell, but when Zack went to lock it, the man kicked the door, causing it to slam into the black-haired boy's head. He charged out of the cell after that and then up the stairs.

Finally, for a third time, they forced him down the stairs and into another cell. They did the same thing they did with Sora, put shackles around his arms, but they didn't tie his legs or fasten him to whatever was wrapped around Sora's stomach.

They all quickly backed out of the cell, not taking their eyes off the man that they had just restrained. Zack carefully fumbled with the lock and made sure that it was latched properly. Before the man had been yelling and cursing, but now, he was completely silent. Not one word came out of his now sewn shut mouth.

"Anyone else think it's odd that he's not talking anymore?" Sora heard Zack ask.

"Naw, he just probably got it out of his head that he can't escape from us. He just doesn't want to admit it," someone else replied as they went out of the dungeon.

Sora leaned over and tried to glance at the man who had been captured. The metal piece that was wrapped around his torso dug into his skin, which prevented him from leaning over too far. But one thing did make him wonder; why was the man being so silent?

The man had been watching Zack and the others like a hawk. Once he was sure they were gone, he finally made his move. Sora raised an eyebrow when he saw the man swish something around in his mouth a few times. He opened his mouth partially, and clamped securely between his teeth was a small gold key.

_That's the key to the shackles! How did he get those without Zack noticing? _Sora wondered.

The man stretched out his legs and then pressed one foot firmly against the locked door of his cell; Sora noticed that it was a lot smaller than the cell he was in. He pushed off of it and then used his other foot to do the exact same thing, although he did it about a step higher, so his body was no longer sitting on the ground. He leaned his head backward and took a quick look at the shackles that had his arms bound. Craning his neck and stretching his arms out as far as they would go, he inserted the key into the small lock with his mouth. When he finally got it right, he gave his head a sharp turn and then the cuffs on his right hand fell to the stone floor with a clank.

A smile spread out across the man's face as he pulled his arm free. He took the key out of his mouth and then freed his other arm. The man let out a sigh and then rubbed his sore wrists.

Sora blinked. _That was amazing! I would have never thought anyone could free themselves like that. . . I wonder who that is. . . It's hard to tell from here. He was able to get out of the shackles, but he can't possibly get out of the cell. He couldn't have stolen the key to the cell door because Zack locked it after he was tied up. _

The man stared at the door and acted as though it was no problem. He held out his hand in a familiar way that Sora knew. All of the sudden, a magical weapon materialized in his hand. From just one glance, Sora could tell that it was a Keyblade. Holding out the Keyblade, the man unlocked the cell door and then stepped out. He looked towards the door and went to make his exit.

_That man. . . Maybe he can help me. . . _"H-Hey! Wait!" Sora called to him. "Please, wait!"

The man paused and looked over his shoulder. He instinctively spun around, his weapon ready to strike at any moment, but when he saw Sora, he lowered his weapon.

"Please! Can you let me out?" Sora asked as the man approached.

"First, tell me who you are."

When Sora went to answer, he paused. Now that the man was standing only a few feet away from him, he noticed who it was. He knew this guy. Even though the two had never met, there was something about him that was oddly familiar. It took a few moments to figure it out, but then it finally struck him.

It was Sota's brother, Bardroy. His uncle.

"Well?" Bardroy pointed his Keyblade at Sora in a menacing way. "Who are you?"

"M-my name is Sora."

Some type of expression flashed across Bardroy's face, but Sora couldn't tell what it was. Was it recognition?

"What are you doing here?"

"I was just passing through. . . K-Kiari's minions jumped me and locked me up," Sora explained. Half of it was true, but he wondered if Bardroy was fooled by the other half that was a lie.

"Why are you completely immobilized from movement? You must really be considered a threat if you're locked up with more restraints than I was," Bardroy stated.

"I-I don't know. Please, I just want to get out of here."

Bardroy rolled his one shoulder around and then lowered his weapon. "I guess you are just a kid," he sighed. "What harm could be done anyway?"

Sora frowned. "I'm not a kid. I'm the legen~" He silenced himself before he could give away his foretold destiny. Even though Bardroy was Sota's brother, trust was one thing that Sora didn't want to chance. He had to be sure that Bardroy was on his side before he revealed any information about himself, his family, or his task.

"It was just a statement," Bardroy said. "But either way, you'd better get out of here as soon as you can. I've seen what some of those minions can do, and they're pretty strong." Unlocking the cuffs around Sora's wrists, he moved on to the metal holder around Sora's waist. "Is that who owns this place? Kiari?"

Sora nodded. "This whole place is ruled by her."

Bardroy pulled out a pocket knife and then sliced the rope that bounded Sora's legs together. Pulling it off, he stood up. "There, you're free."

The spiky-haired boy stood up. "Thanks," Sora smiled, rubbing his wrists. "I owe you one."

"Yeah, well don't make a habit of it." He walked out of the already open cell and then turned his attention back to the door. "The Dominion of Darkness, huh? Ugh. . . Damn this place for being so huge. Well, it was nice meeting you Sora, but I can't waste anymore time here. Good-bye. Watch yourself." Sora watched as the man walked out of the dungeon.

_I wonder why he's here. . . Does he know about what happened to Sota? How long has he been here? _Sora thought for another moment and then finally, he dashed up the stairs after his uncle.

"Hey, wait!" Once he caught up to him, Bardroy turned around.

"What?"

"Can I stay with you?"

"Excuse me?"

"Please Bardroy, I won't be a bur~" Sora was shoved up against the wall, a Keyblade pressed firmly against his neck.

Bardroy narrowed his crystal blue eyes and hissed, "How did you know my name?"

Sora let out a deep sigh. _Damn it. . . I blew my cover. He never did mention his name. . . _"I guess that the cat's out of the bag."

"You're a spy for Kiari, aren't you?"

"No, I promise you that I'm not," Sora said, shaking his head. "I'm a Keyblade Master. My name is Sora Davidson."

A look of confusion spread across Bardroy's expression, but he quickly shook it off. "Davidson? So what?"

"I'm Sota's son. . . He told me to find you," Sora said.

This time, Bardroy did pull his weapon away from Sora's throat. "Sota? You saw Sota? Where? Where is he?"

The sixteen-year-old was silent. It took long enough to get over the awful tragedy that had happened only a day ago, but now he had to bring it back up again.

"Well?" Bardroy pressed.

Sora's gaze was cast towards the floor when he answered, "He's dead. . ."

An expression of shock appeared on Bardroy's face that soon turned into pain. He put his hand up to his head and then ran his fingers through his sandy blonde hair. Sighing deeply, he asked, "How long ago was that. . ?"

Sora looked up at him. "Yesterday."

Bardroy bit his lip. "He was alive yesterday."

Sora nodded.

"Who killed him? I want to know."

"It was three of Kiari's minions. Three brothers, Ryan, Zack, and Taylor Thompson," Sora replied.

"Was there a man with them? A tall man with blonde, silvery looking hair and violet eyes?"

Sora shook his head. "No. . . But I saw that man earlier. He was the one that helped the other pawns catch me." He tilted his head in question. "Why? Do you know him?"

Bardroy didn't answer. Instead, he narrowed his eyes and then spun around. "Where was he?"

Shrugging, Sora answered, "I'm not quite sure. . . Somewhere here, though."

Without turning around, Bardroy started to walk off. Sora was going to start to follow him, but he paused when he heard him muttering, "First he kills Miranda. . . Now he has the nerve to take my daughter. . . Oh. . . He's taken it too far this time. . . He'll pay. I'll drag him to the Hell he came from for this. . . I'll be damned if I let him screw up my life one more time."

From the tone of Bardroy's voice, Sora could tell that he was angry. He was on the verge of an unstoppable rage. Whatever was on his mind was something that he had been wanting to take care of a very long time. Sora couldn't help to think that it had to do with the man with the violet eyes.

Just who was he?

How did he connect with everything that was going on?

He wished he knew. Secrets were one thing that Sora was starting to get sick of. When secrets were kept, lies were usually brought out in the truth's place, which led to a false trust that was likely to be broken.

Bardroy had broke out into a run down the hallway and then disappeared around the corner. _He can take care of himself. . . I'm sure I'll run into him later. . . Still, I didn't get to ask about why he was here. Is he looking for somebody?_

_Also, what was he mumbling about? Something about killing Miranda. . . Sota said that Miranda was his girlfriend. . . Or well, his wife. . . I wonder. . . Is she dead. . ? If so, what happened to her?_

_Maybe the man with the violet eyes has something to do with that too._

Whoever that man was, he sure was mysterious. There was something about his being, something that was odd. Just his existence was something that was cryptic. What was he doing at the Kavern? Was he one of Kiari's servants? Bardroy asked about him, but did he know him somehow?

Sora decided that the man with the violet eyes was a threat. Staying away from him was the best thing he could do to keep himself safe. He couldn't take anymore chances.

Dumping more soapy water onto the floor, Taylor continued to scrub the floor with a scrub brush. He sighed and then wiped the sweat from his brow. "Why did I agree to do this? Damn that Zack," he muttered. Standing up, Taylor grabbed the mop that he had leaned against the wall.

At that moment, Ryan came running from around the corner. "Hey Ryan," he greeted. "What's the hurry?"

Panting, Ryan answered, "Nothing. . . Listen. . . if a girl comes up to you and asks where I went. . . tell her that I went to the lobby."

"Why?" Taylor asked, dipping the sponge he was holding back into the bucket and wetting it.

"Just tell her that," Ryan said, taking off.

"But wait," Taylor said,"why are you going that way if the lobby's to the right?"

"Just tell her I went to the lobby," Ryan repeated and then disappeared around the corner of a different staircase.

"Whatever," Taylor responded, continuing to scrub the floor. Moments later, a girl came racing around the corner. She accidentally stepped on Taylor's back and then tripped and fell to the floor.

"Ow. . ." Taylor moaned.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she apologized. "I'm such a klutz." She pulled him back up to his feet and brushed him off.

_Why is there a hot girl in front of me brushing dirt off of my clothes? _was Taylor's immediate thought.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

Taylor nodded, trying to hide the blush that had sprung to life on his cheeks. She was beautiful. Just absolutely _gorgeous._

"Again," the girl began, "I'm really sorry. Have you seen somebody named Ryan Thompson?"

The thirteen-year-old boy was silent. _She was chasing Ryan. . ? That must be the girl he told me to lie to. I wonder why. . . _

_Wait. . . Could it be. . ?_

_Ryan has a girlfriend!? How could he not tell Zack and me? I'm not letting this chance slip away!_

"Yeah, I saw Ryan," Taylor replied. "He was heading that way." He pointed up the staircase that Ryan had run up, directly the opposite direction from the lobby.

The girl smiled and brushed some of her brown hair out of her face. Her green eyes sparkled when she said, "Thank you."

Her smile made Taylor's heart skip a beat. "It was no problem. But can you tell me your name?"

The girl nodded. "I'm Savannah Davidson." She waved and then ran off.

Taylor's smile grew wider. _Wow. . . She's hot. I can't wait to tell Zack about this! _He tossed the mop that he had picked up back onto the floor and then ran off.

Sora stopped for a quick rest. Where was everyone?

_Savannah and Sanji have to be somewhere around here. Sam should be at the entrance. Maybe I should head there first. . . But the question is, where is the entrance!? _After a few moments, Sora broke off into his run once again. He quickly slid to a stop and then hid behind one of the corners before entering the next hallway.

Zack and Taylor were facing each other, having their own conversation. Sora narrowed his eyes and wondered what they were chatting about. He decided to have a listen.

"So Zack, how's the day off going?" Taylor asked. "And how's your wound?"

"My day's going fine. Dad healed this wound, remember? It's not perfect, but it's improving."

"That's good." A small grin spread out across Taylor's face. "_But_, I bet Ryan's is going a little better."

"Why? What do you know that I don't?" Zack asked.

"Oh nothing."

"Come on, tell me."

"Fine," Taylor said, deciding to tell him. "Ryan's being chased by a girl."

"A girl?"

"A _hot _girl," Taylor corrected himself.

"A _hot_ girl?" Zack restated. "Get out."

"I'm serious. She's chasing him around the entire castle."

"That's unbelievable! I knew that Ryan would get somebody special one of these days!"

"I'm so glad that we got this day off!" Taylor exclaimed. "Sure beats going out on another mission. . . I mean, I know that last one was bad with that man and all, but still. . . It guess it did pay off."

"I guess so," Zack replied.

A anguishing pain latched onto Sora's heart when he heard Taylor say those words. He knew that he was referring back to when they fought Sota. He died not long after that. . . Sora flexed his fingers around the handle of his Keyblade that had suddenly appeared in his hand.

Zack and Taylor. . . They were two of the culprits behind Sota's death. The Thompson brothers. . . They were the reason why Sota was dead. They killed him. _Murdered_ him.

Anger replaced the sadness. Beads of sweat rolled down Sora's face. Two thoughts were fighting each other in his confused mind.

Should he rush out there and kill them?

Or, should he just let them go? Leave them be?

Sora bit his bottom lip and tried to decide. What should he do?

"So Taylor, whatcha doing?" he heard Zack ask.

"Oh you know," Taylor began, "just cleaning up the blood that Riku had dripped all over the floor awhile back."

Whatever anger was in Sora's system, it all shattered and melted away at once. Adrenaline rushed through Sora's body when he heard them speak that name.

Riku.

Just that one word was enough to make Sora's heart pause. He almost raced around the corner to question them about him, but if he did, he would easily be captured. They did it once, and they could do it again.

But there was a question. If they mentioned Riku, was he still alive? How long ago were they talking about? Could there still be a possibility that his best friend was still alive? But still, how could that be so? Sora killed him with his own two hands. How could he have possibly lived? And if he was alive, then where was he?

Sora balled his fists until his knuckles turned white. He couldn't blow his cover again. He had to lie back and wait. Wait for the desperate answers that he ever so wanted.

"You still didn't clean that up? Man, you're slow," Zack said. "I told you to do that weeks ago."

"Hey, I was busy, remember?"

"Yeah, yeah."

"You know. . . What ever did happen to Riku? Did Kiari kill him?" Taylor asked.

Zack thought for a moment. "Nope, I don't think so. I'm not sure what happened to him. He came here looking for Sora, but after we took him up to Kiari's tower, I didn't see him again."

Sora's thoughts spun around in confusion. _What. . ? He came looking for me? When. . ? What are they talking about? When did this happen? Damn it. . . I need answers! _He was just about to swerve around the corner when a noise stopped him.

"Psst."

Sora stopped dead in his tracks. He looked around the room until he spotted someone. Just across from him, down the other hallway, was a man. His blue eyes locked with the man's green ones. His blonde hair reflected off the lights that kept the halls brightened.

Sora's eyes widened. _S-Sota? _He shook his head and then rubbed his eyes. _No. . . That's not him. But he looks like a pretty damn good twin, almost. Who is~ _Sora remembered at the last second that Zack and Taylor were still down the other hallway chatting. If he made a noise, it was probable that they'd hear him.

The man pointed at the two Thompson brothers down the hallway and shook his head. He put a finger up to his lips.

Sora blinked. He knew that the man was telling him to keep quiet and stay hidden. Turning his attention back to Zack and Taylor for a moment, he listened in on what they were talking about once again.

"But either way, he's not bothering us, so I really don't care where Riku is," Zack stated, shrugging his shoulders.

"Neither do I," his younger brother agreed. "So, what now?"

"Well, I'm going to the lobby to fetch some grub," Zack told his brother. "Want me to grab you something?"

"Sure. Just take it up to our room when you do. I'll catch up later." Another grin flickered to life on Taylor's face. "Make sure to knock when you go back to our room though. Who knows? Maybe Ryan and his new girlfriend will be in there."

Zack smirked. "Gotcha."

The two brothers went their separate ways and then Zack disappeared out of the room.

When Taylor turned back to mopping up the floor, Sora turned his attention back to the man who was standing across the room.

His gaze never wavered, but he did motion Sora to come over to him. Glancing over to make sure Taylor wasn't looking, he dashed across the room at a quick speed until he was over at the man. Just as he went to say something, the man grabbed hold of his shoulders and then shoved him into the wall. He pinned him down and then covered his mouth.

Taylor had heard the noise and glanced around. Whenever it was silent, he went back to his own work.

The man turned his attention back on Sora. In a whisper, he asked, "What's your name?" He uncovered Sora's mouth so he could answer.

Sora took a deep breath. "I'm Sora. I promise that I'm not~"

The man put his hand over Sora's mouth again. "What's your purpose here? It's obvious that you didn't want those two to spot you, so why were you hiding?"

When he went to answer, Sora looked up and noticed something shiny. It was an earring in the man's ear, and it was crown-shaped. Looking back and taking in the man's features, Sora realized that the man was Sanji. He had to be.

_That has to be him! He's the one I saw in that one room where Hojo was talking to the guy with the violet eyes! He had his head lowered. . . He looked so sad. . . Well, at least he got out._

Trying to keep his expression from turning into a happy grin, he tried to stay calm when he answered the question. "I'm only going to say this once. I'm not a resident of this castle. I'm just a boy who's looking for some people. I promise, I'm not a bad guy. That's why I was hiding from them; so they wouldn't capture me."

Sanji's eyes narrowed and then skimmed down to Sora's chest. The sixteen-year-old was silent for a moment until he realized that his older brother was eying his crown necklace in wonder. Sanji took the metal charm in his hand and then clenched it in his fist. "Where did you get this?"

Sora blinked. "From my father."

The blonde made no move.

"Now that I've told you my name, will you tell me yours?" Sora asked. _I'd better get him to tell me his name before I screw myself again. I don't want the same thing that happened with Bardroy to happen to me again._

Releasing Sora's necklace, Sanji backed away. "Sanji," he answered bluntly, and then walked off.

"H-Hey!" He ran after him. "Where are you going?"

"None of your damn business."

"Please, I'm not a bad guy."

"Which is probably why you should stay away from me. I can be a monster sometimes, and I doubt that you'd want to see that side of me."

Sora blinked. "Everyone has a dark side, even me. But still, I need you to come with me."

Sanji stopped. "Oh yeah, and what for?"

"You're a part of something. . . Something big. I need you to come with me," Sora told him. "Please, you have to trust me."

Looking away from him, Sanji repeated with a spat, "Heh, trust? Sorry kid, but I don't trust very many people these days. . ."

"If I give you a reason to trust me, then will you?"

"Sure. . ." Sanji cracked his neck. "But, whatever the case, it'd better be some damn good proof."

Sora nodded. "Well, I'm sure that you're looking for your sister right now, Savannah, right?" He could see the immediate change in Sanji's expression. "Well, I was with her before, but we got separated. If I help you find her, will you decide to come with me?"

"H-How. . ? How did you know she's my sister?"

"She told me. I helped her escape from Hojo's clutches. We got out of the building together. She wanted to go back for you, but she figured that you had gotten out just like she did. That's why we came here. We knew that you'd definitely go to this castle once you escaped from Hojo's. And here you are."

"Where is she?" Sanji asked.

"I'm not sure. Like I said, we got separated. I'm still looking for her. Perhaps it would be better if you came with me. . ." Sora cocked his head. "Two heads are better than one."

Sanji sighed. "Fine. You gave me proof. . . And I guess that if Savannah trusted you, then I could. . . For awhile at least." He tugged on the long sleeves of his shirt.

Sora smiled. "Thank you. You won't regret giving me a chance!" Sora grabbed his hand and started dragging him down the corridor.

"Where are we going?" Sanji questioned, tugging his hand away.

"I don't know," Sora shrugged. "But maybe this way will lead us to Savannah."

Ryan tried to ignore the pounding on his chamber door as best as he could but it was starting to get to be too much. Savannah had chased him throughout almost the entire castle and found where his chamber was located. He couldn't understand why. Taylor was supposed to tell her that he was at the lobby and that was entirely on the other side of the castle. He didn't know how she had found him so quickly. But then again, it was Zack and Taylor. They probably ratted him out the moment she asked.

"Ryan!" Savannah yelled. "Open the door! I know you're in there."

He sighed deeply. _How did I get myself into this mess? Damn myself for running into her. I just can't tell her to leave. . . I don't want to be rude, but I'm not interested. Please, please just go away!_

"Ryan!"

_Forget it. She's not going to leave. I guess I'll just have to tell her to go away. . . _Ryan stood up from the chair he was sitting on. He paced over to the door and readied himself. He was going to do it. He would politely tell her off and then shut the door. How hard could it be?

When he finally opened the door and saw her face, he melted. He couldn't just tell her off. She was beautiful. Everything from her sparkling green eyes down to her legs. Savannah put her hands on her hips and then leaned forward. "What took you so long?"

"I-I-I'm sorry," he managed to get out. What was he supposed to say? "W-What do you need?"

Savannah leaned back until she was standing up erect. "I just. . . Well. . ." She blushed. "Well, I was just wondering where you were going. . ."

"Uh. . ." Ryan didn't know how to respond. _Shit. . . What am I doing? I was following Zack and Taylor around chasing that one man. . . But then this happened. _"I was just coming back to my room to rest."

"Oh. . . Well. . . Is this your home?" Savannah asked, trying to hide the embarrassment in her voice.

"Basically," Ryan answered. "L-Listen, it's not safe for you to be here." He lowered his voice to a whisper. "If Kiari finds out that you're here she won't hesitate to capture you and kill you. You have to leave!"

"But I'm looking for my broth~" Savannah silenced herself when she heard footsteps coming from the halls. And they were approaching fast.

Ryan quickly pulled her into his chamber and then slammed the door close. He stepped over to the closet and ripped the door open. When he did, about ten things fell out in a heap and smacked him in the face. _What the hell is all of this junk? I should have known that Zack and Taylor wouldn't get rid of this stuff. Heh, cleaned the room and threw it out they said. My ass they did. _Turning back to the brunette, he motioned for the closet. "You have t hide. Get in."

Savannah nodded and then carefully slid herself into the closet. Ryan forced the door shut and then quickly ran over towards the two beds that were on the other end of the room. He dived onto one of them, pulled the blanket around himself and then closed his eyes.

Whoever it was knocked first but then decided to come in anyway. When the door to his chamber opened and Zack walked in, he mentally sighed in relief. Ryan sat up and then pretended to stretch. He managed a fake yawn. "Yeah, what is it?"

Zack walked over to him. "I just wanted to see if you were in here. I just got word from Viola about Sora. He was in the dungeon, but he escaped and so did the man that I helped drag back down there. Kiari orders everyone to search for the two of them. She said if anyone catches one of them and takes him to her, you'll get a week off of missions. Taylor's out searching now."

"A _week_?" Even a reward like that was worth working for.

"Yup. I was just wondering if you were going to help search for the two of them."

"Sure, just give me a moment to wake up though."

Zack nodded and then turned back to the door. Just before he left, he turned back to his older brother. "Oh yeah. Taylor mentioned something about a hot girl chasing you. Know anything about that?"

Ryan cheeks went hot. _So he did rat me out then, huh? _"Hot girl?" he asked with a fake laugh. "Don't be ridiculous. There's no one like that here. What's Taylor talking about?"

Zack shrugged. "I'm not sure. It did sound pretty unbelievable. All the girls here are bitches."

"Did Amiamon tell you that?"

"Yes he did."

"What did Joshua tell you about language?"

Zack ducked his head. "Sorry about that. But still, if you want to seem like you're a boss around here, you have to use some curse words sometimes." The ebony-haired boy nodded at his brother and then walked out of the room.

After he was sure that Zack was gone, Ryan walked back over to the closet. When he opened it, Savannah came falling out onto him. He caught her in his arms and held her up.

"Are you all right?" Ryan asked.

"Yeah," she answered. "You should really clean out that closet of yours. There's a lot of stuff in it."

"I've noticed. . . All of that stuff actually belongs to my two brothers," Ryan admitted. He paused for a moment and then turned away from Savannah. He could hear the sounds of people roaming the halls, desperately searching for Sora and the unknown man. Facing her again, he said, "I have to get you out here. If I don't, you'll surely be caught."

Savannah blinked. "You'll help me get out here?"

Ryan nodded.

"Thank you," Savannah smiled. "But wait a minute. . . My brother's here somewhere."

"He'll have to wait," Ryan told her. "But for now, we have to go."

Bardroy shook his head, trying to clear his blurred vision. Somehow, the large boy known as Flexis had found him again and was unfortunately beating him in combat. This had been the second time he was thrown through three sets of walls. He shook his head again, small bits of rubble and dust falling from his hair.

Flexis was coming at him again, this time looking even more crazed. Bardroy held up his Keyblade and pointed directly at his target. He gripped it in both hands and then commanded, "Flare!"

A huge explosion was created in the hallway, followed by an ear-splitting blast. Flexis went flying back into the already broken wall. The entire castle had to have been shaking from the blast that Bardroy had created.

_That should keep him busy for awhile. If that kid's human, it would have killed him, but I doubt that it did. He's something else. . . Heh, well, what else should I expect from the Hell on earth?_

_I still can't believe that I didn't find Emily yet. . . Damn it! I swear. . . If Joshua even laid a finger on her, I'll kill that son of a bitch. I'll kill him the way he killed Miranda. . . His blood will be stained on my hands._

He stood up and then raced down another corridor. _If I keep moving like this, I'll just end up getting even more lost. I have to get outside and go around the perimeter again. Looks like I'll be heading back out to the Courtyard._

Sam raced around the corner to run into a boy with green hair. She almost fell onto the ground but was easily able to regain her balance. The boy, who was much taller than her, blinked his ice blue eyes. He ran his long fingernails through his hair and then asked, "You're with Sora's group, aren't you?"

Sam was silent, and instead, she summoned her weapon, preparing herself for any attack that he was willing to hit her with.

"I'm not on Kiari's side. I have no reason to lie to you. If you're looking for Sora," he began, "then I suggest that you head that way." He pointed a finger down the hallway he was just coming from. "Go the first left you see. You should run into him and some other guy just down that corridor."

When Sam made no move, he added, "Better get moving. They may just be gone by the time you get to where I just said to go."

Sam narrowed her blue eyes at the stranger as she carefully walked around him. She never did take her eyes off of him, making sure that he wasn't up to anything. Once she got a good distance away, she asked, "Who are you?"

The boy blinked his ice blue eyes once again and then adjusted the black coat that hung loosely over his skinny frame. "No one special," he answered as he walked off.

Sam watched as he disappeared around the corner before heading her own way. She went the first left she ran into and cautiously moved forward. _If he was telling the truth, Sora and whoever he's with should be right around this corn~_

When Sam walked around the corner, she was shocked to see a Keyblade pointed at her throat.

Sora blinked. "Sam?"

"S-Sora?" Sam smiled. "There you are!"

"You know her?" Sanji asked

The sixteen-year-old nodded. "Yeah! We met earlier! She's one of the people I was looking for! Now we just have to find Savannah and someone else and we can leave."

"Who's the other person?" The tall blonde man asked.

"Oh. . . Well. . . You would know him," Sora told him. He remembered what Savannah had said about them thinking Sora Lee was dead, so he didn't quite know how to tell Sanji. "Well, I'm looking for Sora Lee. He's somewhere in this castle."

"S-Sora Lee?"

"Your brother."

"You're wasting your time. He's dead."

"No he's not. I know he ran away when you were younger," Sora started, "But he didn't die. He lived and is here, in this castle, right now."

Sanji blinked and then clenched his fists. "So that bastard's still alive, huh? Well, he can just go die somewhere in a hole because I don't give a damn about him anymore."

"Sanji!" Sora gasped. "Don't say that about your brother!"

"I never considered him my brother. And by the way, how did you even know that we're related?" he asked. "I don't remember telling you."

"Like I said, I'll get to that all in good time, but first, we have to get out here. Sam," Sora turned back towards his younger sister, "do you know where Savannah is?"

"How could I know where she is when I never even met her?" Sam questioned. "So the answer would be no, I don't know where she is right now."

Sighing, Sora shook his head. "Okay, fine. We'll just have to keep looking around. She has to be around here somewhere."

"Hold that thought." Sanji stuck his long arm out to stop Sora from advancing forward. "Somebody's coming."

Sora and Sam both readied their weapon. Glancing over towards his sister, the spiky-haired boy turned his attention to her weapon. "I didn't know that you wielded a Keyblade."

"You wield one too?"

Sora nodded. "Yeah, whoever's coming, let's beat the stuffing out of them and show them who's boss." He realized that Sanji didn't pull out a weapon of any type. "Hey Sanji. Can you fight? You don't have a weapon."

"You don't need weapons to fight," Sanji retorted.

"I know that, I'm just asking."

"You'll see when the time comes."

Sora turned back and waited for the person who was heading towards them. When they came around the corner, Sam and him both pointed their Keyblades dangerously close to the approaching figure. To their surprise, it was Savannah.

Savannah blinked. "Sanji?" She wrapped her arms around him, forcing him to become part of a tight embrace. "I'm so glad that I finally found you!"

"You did get out of Hojo's after all," Sanji sighed, relief filling his system. "Thank god. . . We're no longer stuck with that monster. We're free."

Savannah finally pulled away. "I know. . . Sora was the helped me escape. He brought me here. I knew that you'd escape the first chance you got, so we figured that you'd come here too. Looks like I was right."

"So you were telling the truth when you said that you helped Savannah. It might not sound like it, but thank you for helping my sister," Sanji stated. His heart stopped when he saw the stranger who was standing awkwardly to the side. He was tall, about the same height as him, with broad shoulders and a brawny chest. He was twice the size of him.

Sora noticed the stranger also. "Hey. . . Wait a second. . ." When he realized who the man was, his eyes narrowed and hatred reflected off their blue surfaces. "It's you. . . What are _you_ doing here?"

"You know him?" Savannah asked, turning back to the man. "He's here because he was helping me head to the entrance. He can help us get out here."

"I don't care if he's helping you or not!" Sora yelled. "I'll never forgive you for what you did! You killed my Dad!"

Realizing that the boy shouting at him was Sora, Ryan took a step back. "I'm. . . I'm sorry. . . I didn't want to. . . I just. . . It was an order. . ."

"Wait. . . You killed this boy's father?" Savannah asked, wide-eyed.

Ryan nodded. "I did. . . It was an order from Kiari. . . She forced my brothers and I to do it. I'm sorry. . . I never wanted to go that far. . . But I had no choice. . ."

"Do you really think I care about that!? You killed him to save your own skins!" Sora yelled. "It's unforgivable!"

"Sora, calm down," Sam told him, grabbing his arm.

Taking a deep breath, Sora relaxed a bit. "Haven't you caused enough problems already? You and your brothers. . . Just go and mind your own damn business for once."

Ryan lowered his head. "I'm sorry. . . I don't know how many times I can apologize, but I know that I can't be forgiven for the sin that I have done. I just hope that you can see that I truly am sorry for what's happened. I'll make it up to you by leading you out of the castle."

Sora folded his arms and turned his head away from Ryan. "I don't care. You'll probably just turn your back on me again once we're gone."

Savannah frowned. "Please Ryan, help us escape from here."

He nodded. "I can take you to the front entrance, but that's as far as I can go. Follow me." Ryan turned away from the spiky-haired boy and then started to head in the direction that would lead the small group to the front of the castle.

They were almost there until they heard the sound of people running through the halls. Ryan slid to a stop. "Quickly, keep heading this way and then take the second right you approach to. Keep heading straight after that and you'll find your self at the drawbridge. You have to hurry. I'll distract the group that's heading this way."

"Thank you," Savannah nodded, and then took the lead down the hallway. Sam and Sora ran by without a word. The last was Sanji.

He stopped and stared at Ryan for a few moments. The set of blue eyes looked away first. "Go," Ryan said.

Sanji closed his green eyes and then nodded. Without another word, he raced to catch up to his sister and the other two followers. They were approaching the exit.

"There it is!" Sora announced. "We're almost there!"

As they were running, they could see that someone was standing in the middle of the hallway, heading their way. He stopped as did they. While Sora and Sam both raised an eyebrow at the stranger, Sanji and Savannah gasped.

Sora eyed his older siblings. "What's the matter?" He could see their wide eyes. "Do you know who that is?" He eyed the boy over. He certainly had never seen the boy before. . . No, that wasn't right. His outfit was a mixture of colors, but black was the main color. A necklace bearing a broken crown-shaped charm hung around his neck. His eyes were a familiar blue color and his hair was brown. He was narrowing his eyes now, and a nasty frown was plastered onto his face.

_Wait a second. . . That's. . . _Sora began thinking but soon figured it out. That was the boy who had been glaring at him and Sota from the Kavern window. It was Sora Lee. His older brother.

How could he not see it? His attributes were just like his mothers and his face was clearly similar to Sota's.

"Lee?" Savannah took a step forward which Sora had to give her credit for; that nasty glare was enough to keep the devil at a distance. "Is that you?"

"What are you two doing here?" His voice was obviously full of disappointment.

"I could ask you the same thing. You're supposed to be dead," Sanji retorted.

"Don't you sound thrilled. I'm not exactly excited to see your ugly ass face either, Sanji," Sora Lee responded.

"Screw you. I liked it better when you were dead."

"And I to you."

"Stop it!" Savannah snapped to Sanji. "Lee, what are you doing here? Why didn't you go back to Uncle Bardroy's?"

"I was sick of that place." He started to walk towards them. "I'm much better here than I am there. No one cares anyway."

Savannah continued. "Lee, please. I know that it's been a long time, but I'm glad to see you. It would be nice if we could be a family again."

Sora Lee walked passed them and continued down the hallway that they had just come from. He paused for a moment. "I have my family," he began. "It's right here. I don't need anyone else."

"But Lee~"

"No." His voice was full of a determination that said his choice was final. "I'm not going with you. Get out of here while you still can. You have no purpose to be here and if you do stay, you'll just get in the way and get yourselves killed." And with that last note, he ran off.

"Wait! Lee!" Savannah went to run after her twin but Sanji stopped her.

"Savannah," he said softly. "Just leave him be. If that's how he wants to be, then let him go. We never needed him anyway."

She lowered her head. "Okay. . ."

"But we can't just let him leave!" Sora protested suddenly. "We need Sora Lee to come with us! I'm not leaving without him!"

"Hey! There they are!" a voice shouted.

When Sora faced the other end of the hallway where Sora Lee had run, his eyes widened at the horde of minions running towards them.

"Forget about Lee," Sam started, "Let's get out here! Come on!"

The four of them ran out of the castle. When they reached the drawbridge, Sanji came to a stop and faced the Kavern. "Sanji! What are you doing? We have to go, now!" Savannah yelled to him.

"Just give me a second!" he called back. Sanji flexed his fingers and then stood up tall. "Stand back." Swinging his arms upward in a vertical arc, a huge wall of fire sparked into flames and then covered the entire entryway.

Sora stared at his brother in awe. "That's amazing! How'd you learn how to do that!"

Sanji didn't answer him, but grabbed his arm and then started to lead the way. "Where are we heading?" he asked.

"Oh, right!" Sora took the lead and shouted, "Follow me!"

Propping himself up against the wall, Bardroy sucked a breath in. _Finally. . . It only took that freakin' long to get away from those freaks. . . At least I got back outside. . . Damn it. . ._

_Where in the __**hell**__is my daughter?_

_If Joshua even dared to lay a finger on her. . . Maybe he isn't here after all. . . Maybe that boy was just being stupid. . . Maybe he's just~_

"Thank you. . . For everything."

"It's no problem, really. Which direction is your house?" Bardroy spun himself around and leaned over the balcony that he was standing on. Just below him, he could see a tall man with silvery blonde hair heading away from the castle, towards the woods. A little girl was walking beside him, a braid of golden hair hanging down her back.

His pulse quickened when he realized that it was his daughter. _That's Emily! But who's with~ _Time seemed to pause for Bardroy, for the man he was gazing at was the one he had vowed to kill.

Joshua Capri.

The one who had killed Miranda.

Before he could process what he was even doing, he found himself jumping from the balcony ledge and then getting ready for a vertical slash. "EMILY!" he screamed. "Get away from him!"

Joshua jerked to the side to avoid the slash that was directed upon him. He took a few steps backward until he was just far enough out of Bardroy's reach.

Bardroy's gaze slid down to his daughter. "Are you okay? He didn't hurt you, did he?"

"Daddy! He was helping me!" Her wide eyes were full of fear.

His glance went to Emily and then back to Joshua. "Emily, please stay out of this." Turning towards the man with the violet eyes, he began, "Joshua. . . Joshua. . . Joshua. . . You don't know how long I've been wanting to do this."

Joshua sighed. "Bardroy. . . I didn't want to meet you like this. . ."

Instead of replying, Bardroy slashed at him with his Keyblade. Just as before, he dodged the attack, but didn't draw his weapon. "Take your daughter and leave here. Kiari wants you both dead, it's not safe here," he told him.

"I'm not letting you slip through my fingers again! I regret showing you the mercy you didn't show Miranda!" Bardroy yelled, dashing towards him. Joshua avoided the attack once again by stepping to the side quickly. He repeated the motion a few more times until Bardroy's Keyblade finally tore through his side.

_Yes! I finally got him! Now he's gonna die! _Bardroy pulled back his weapon for one final strike. _Who knew it'd be this easy! But. . ._

_Wait. . ._

He skimmed Joshua's body for any type of weapon. His Keyblade was not drawn, but at the very least, he expected to see a knife or some kind of killing device on his body. Not one sharp instrument could be seen. Bardroy looked wildly at Joshua's hands, wondering why he hadn't called forth his Keyblade. Finally, he looked at his enemy's face.

"What kind of game are you playing?" Bardroy asked, his eyes narrowed.

Joshua's gaze slid away from him. "I accept my Fate. . . Even though I'm going to be leaving behind far too much undone. . . I'm sorry. . ." When a tear slid down his cheek, Bardroy paused. Joshua continued, "You said so yourself, I don't deserve mercy. Avenge your wife! Or let her death haunt you for the rest of your days, while her killer walks free!"

Whatever pity or confusion that Bardroy was feeling melted away completely. Without anymore hesitation, he stepped back once again, getting ready for the final blow.

Emily was still standing just a few yards behind her father. "Daddy! No!" Not even her desperate screams were knocking him out of the state of anger that her father had entered.

_I have to do this! He has to die! _Bardroy's Keyblade was plunged deeply into Joshua's chest. Although he didn't cry out, he coughed out some blood. When Bardroy pulled his weapon back, the red liquid spurted out of the wound and then splattered all over him. Joshua slid off of his Keyblade and then fell to the ground. Blood was pooling around Joshua's body and around Bardroy's shoes.

Holding the bloody weapon up to his face, Bardroy stared at it in deep thought. _It's finally over. Joshua's as good as dead. . . I've gotten my revenge. . ._

_I don't understand. . . I've killed before. . . I killed Raven in almost this exact same spot. . . But then. . ._

_Why does this feel so wrong?_

When Bardroy looked down at Joshua's unmoving body, he caught his reflection of himself in the pool of blood. Crimson dots spotted his face as well as a few of his own cuts. Blood was running down from his forehead and down his chin from the many times he was thrown threw the walls of the Kavern.

He looked like a total madman. In fact, as mad as Joshua had looked all those years ago. Bardroy swallowed and took a step backward. He turned around slowly and looked at Emily, who was staring at him in horror. Her crystal blue eyes were filling with tears as they quickly darted back forth to Joshua and then back to him. She was clutching herself in fear, trying to process what had just happened.

Just as Bardroy went to say something to his daughter, a voice full of sorrow cried out, "FATHER!"

Taking his eyes off of his little girl, Bardroy turned to who had spoken. A boy was charging towards him, his eyes wild with fury. Although it had been twelve years, his appearance had hardly changed. The same fiery blue eyes that were full of a dark determination. The nasty frown that never seemed to disappear from his face. Even from a distance did he look too much like his father.

It was his nephew, Sora Lee.

"Sora Lee?!" Alarmed, hundreds of questions filled his head. _I thought he was dead! What the hell is he doing here? What the hell is going on? Shit. . . He's attacking me!? _Bardroy clashed his Keyblade against Lee's before he could get slashed.

"Get the hell out of here! I won't hesitate to kill you!" Lee snapped. "_GO_!"

Bardroy pulled away. He took a few steps backward until he was standing next to Emily. _This whole place is screwed up! We have to get the hell out of here! I've had enough shit like this to last a lifetime! _It took him a few moments to realize that he must have said it out loud as he was thinking it because his daughter was staring at him like he was a stranger.

"We need to get moving!" Instead of just grabbing his daughter's hand, he scooped her up and then raced off with her. He fled into the woods before Lee could run after him. Whatever his business with Joshua was, he didn't want to know. Lee was the farthest thing from his mind.

At that moment, he only cared about two things.

He got his daughter back.

And Joshua was finally dead.


	2. Chapter 2 - A Place to Call Home

**Day 19**

**A Place to Call Home**

"We're finally here," Sora told the three who were following him. "We can finally take a rest."

Sanji and Savannah both raised an eyebrow. The brunette started first, "Wait a second. . . This is. . ."

"Uncle Bardroy's house," Sanji finished. "Why'd you bring us here? And how do you know our uncle?"

"I'll answer your questions once we're inside. Let's go on in," Sora replied.

Sanji, Savannah, and Sam advanced on towards the log cabin while Sora slowly followed from behind. He gave the forest a sad glance and then continued on into the house. The house was exactly the same as it was when he had left it.

Sanji and Savannah looked around wonderingly. "This place hasn't changed at all," Savannah stated.

"Uncle Bardroy? Miranda?" Sanji began. "Are you here?"

"They're not home," Sora said. "I saw Bardroy at the Kavern, but I don't know when he'll be back."

"What was he doing there?" Savannah asked. "Was Miranda with him?"

Sora shrugged. "He ran off before I could ask. As for Miranda. . . Well, I'm not sure." Lying was the easiest thing he could do. From what he'd heard, he was fairly sure that the woman known as Miranda was dead. But he didn't know the details or the facts. He'd just have to wait and mention it later. Sora sighed deeply. He was exhausted from all the running he had done within the last twenty-four hours. "Ready for that explanation?"

Sanji and Savannah turned and looked at him. "Oh yeah, I guess you do have a lot of explaining to do. Well, better get to it."

Sora nodded. "Sit." He motioned his head towards the couch and then two girls and man sat down. "Now. . . Where to begin. . . I guess I'll start with~"

The front door the cabin swung open and a man stepped in, the man known as Bardroy. He looked half drained and his legs were practically dragging the floor when he had entered the house. His gaze was cast downward towards floor so he didn't see Sora or the others when he first came in. His Keyblade hung heavily in his other arm. A little girl only half the height of him was standing by his side, holding his other hand.

But, none of that mattered to Sora. The main thing that he was questioning was the blood that was stained all over Bardroy's clothes and skin. It was splattered on him in a way that you could tell that it wasn't his, but somebody else's. Whoever he was fighting had definitely lost the battle and by the look of it, was probably struck down.

Sanji jumped up from the couch almost immediately. "Uncle Bardroy? Is that you?"

The little girl looked up at the man she was next to. "Daddy. . . They're people here. . ."

Bardroy's head snapped up as did his weapon. He pointed it menacingly at the four strangers in his house. Making sure the little girl was safely standing behind him, he interrogated, "Who are you? Tell me now!"

"It's me." Sora took a daring step forward. "Remember? We met at the Kavern yesterday. I'm Sora."

Bardroy hesitantly lowered his Keyblade. "What are you doing in my house?"

Sora couldn't think of a response quick enough before Sanji cut in. "Uncle Bardroy. . . Don't you recognize us?" Pointing to himself and then Savannah, he continued, "It's me, Sanji. And Savannah's here too. We. . . We came home."

Bardroy blinked and then lowered his weapon, a look of realization appearing on his face. "Sanji? Savannah? What are. . . you two doing here? I thought you guys were dead. . ." He let his Keyblade disappear and then continued, "Sota never came back and we never heard from you again. We just figured that. . ." He fell silent. "I never expected to see you guys again."

"Neither did we." Savannah walked over and wrapped her arms around her uncle. "It's been so long. I missed you and Miranda. . . Where is Miranda anyway?"

Bardroy's gaze slid away from them. He grabbed a towel hanging off one of the kitchen chairs and attempted to wipe off some of the blood that was splattered on his face. He stated in a blunt tone, "She's dead."

A silence spread over the group. "She's. . . dead. . ?" Savannah took a step backward. "But. . . What happened to her?"

"She was killed."

"Who killed her?" Sanji asked. "Who's cruel enough to murder someone as nice as Miranda?"

"It's nothing you should be concerned about." Bardroy took the now bloody towel and tossed back over the chair. "As you can see, I already took care of it."

"You mean. . . You killed the guy who did it?" Sora stepped in. "Who was it?"

Bardroy narrowed his eyes. "Why are you here anyway?"

"I already told you, I'm~" Sora paused, realizing that hadn't yet explained everything he knew. "I was just about to explain that. I guess that you need to hear the details too so just listen to me." He sighed. "This is going to take forever. . ."

The little girl standing next to Bardroy tugged on his shirt. "Daddy? Who are these people?"

Bardroy looked down at the child. "You'll have to forgive my daughter. I never did tell her about you being that I thought you were dead. I didn't think that she would really need to know about you guys. . . I know I should have told her. I'm sorry."

Sanji shrugged his shoulders. "It's fine. The world would probably be better off without me. . ."

A confused expression appeared on everyone's face followed by a silence. "Why? What do you mean, Sanji?" Savannah questioned.

Sanji blinked and then his normal composure melted away. He shrunk and his whole body tensed. "N-Nevermind. . . It was nothing. . ."

"Emily, these two are your cousins. That's Sanji," Bardroy pointed to the man, "and that's Savannah." He motioned his head to the brunette.

Emily smiled and stepped out from behind her father. "Hi."

Savannah looked at Sanji and smiled at the little girls kindness which seemed to brighten his mood. She leaned over and put her hands on her knees. "Hi there."

Sanji turned back to his uncle. "So you and Miranda, huh? I thought you told me that there was nothing going on between you and her."

"I obviously lied."

"Why?"

"You were nine. The last thing I wanted was you picking on me for loving Miranda. She would be considered your aunt now, though."

"Guess you're right," Sanji agreed.

"Daddy?"

Bardroy turned to his daughter. "What?"

"Who are those two?" Emily pointed to Sora and Sam who were standing awkwardly on the other end of the room.

Sam didn't know that the people in front of her were part of her family, so she didn't have any reaction to what was happening, but as for Sora, his gaze was cast towards the floor.

Jealously bubbled inside of him. He envied the love of the family in front of him. He had never gotten that kind of love, only hatred and abuse from where he'd come from. Love was something that Sora craved most, no matter who it was from. He had already entrusted his heart to someone else, someone whom he was sure he'd never see or speak to again. The only love he could receive now would be from his remaining family. And he was set on protecting them until the end. They had to know about everything that was happening as soon as possible, but Sora didn't want to interrupt his siblings reunion with their uncle.

Thankfully, Bardroy turned back to Sora and Sam. "Who is she? And what are you doing here?"

"I said before that I need to talk to all of you. If you don't believe me afterward, then I promise I'll let you leave, but just hear me out," Sora said.

"Just start so we can get this over with," Sam sighed. "I'm tired of waiting."

Sora nodded. "Okay."

The moon was floating in the sky over the cabin by the time the explanation was over. The flames crackling in the fire place was the only source of light in the room when Sora finished what he had to say. Sanji stood, leaning against the wall, his arms folded against his chest. Not a word came out of his mouth. Sam and Savannah sat, staring up at Sora in confusion. Bardroy was sitting on the one chair, Emily on his lap. His expression was unreadable.

Sora lowered his head and let out a sigh. "Well?" he asked. "It's pretty crazy. . . I know. It took me some time to believe it too."

"You mean that. . . You're our brother?" Savannah managed to ask.

Sora nodded. "It's true. All of it."

"But. . . I believe you. . . It's just that. . . I can't understand how it all fits together so perfectly," Savannah said. "Sanji and I never met you or Sam. . . But you're our siblings. . . I just. . ." She lowered her head. "I always thought that our family was unorganized, but this is pretty ridiculous."

"I. . . I can't believe that we're all a family. I never knew. . . I never even knew that the family I lived with were just my adopted parents. How could. . ?" Sam thought for a moment. "Whatever. The point is that we're all together now either way. It may take some time for us to get used to each other, but either way, who said it would be easy?"

"No, we're not all here," Sora reminded them. "We are missing just one person."

Bardroy finally made a comment. "Sora Lee, huh?" He lifted his head from his propped up hand and then went on. "I saw him at the Kavern just the other day. He threatened to kill me if I didn't leave."

"You were at the Kavern?" Sanji asked.

He nodded.

"Oh yeah, why were you there?" Sora questioned. "You never told me when I ran into you."

The man known as Sota's younger brother sighed. "Sota told you about Joshua, did he not?"

"Yeah, he did. He was the one who killed our mother. . ."

"He's the same one who killed Miranda as well," Bardroy revealed. "I never did forgive him for what he did. Two people had come and taken Emily to the Kavern and when I went to find her, I found out that he was there. You confirmed that for me in which I thank you. Here, he had taken Emily. It took nine long years, but I finally was able to gain my revenge." He glanced down at his daughter who was staring solemnly at the floor.

When Emily caught her father staring at her, she looked up at him and said, "You didn't have to kill him Daddy. . . He was only trying to help me escape. . ."

"Emily, he was a blood thirsty killer. The only reason he wanted you on his side was so you could lead him to me," Bardroy told her. "He would've hurt you if I gave him that chance. He killed your mother without even a slight moment of hesitation! Do you really think that he'd pause when it came to killing you?"

"But Daddy~"

"It's already done and over with," Bardroy snapped. "Don't worry about it anymore. There's so many things that he's done wrong. . . He deserved to die."

Emily's gaze fell to the floor. She took a few steps back, sharply turned away from her father, and then raced up the staircase towards her bedroom. Bardroy went to go after his daughter, but he paused and then sighed. "Killing him was a good thing. . . right?"

Sora stepped in. "The way Dad put it, it seemed like he did deserve to die. You didn't do anything wrong. Emily's young and just isn't used to death like that."

Bardroy managed a slight nod. "I guess that you're right. . ."

"But what about Lee?" Savannah cut in. "Why would he threaten you? Of all people, he should have at least liked you a little bit."

"He stepped in after I stabbed Joshua. I was about to slash him again, but he clashed his blade against mine and then shoved me away," Bardroy explained. "Like I said, he threatened me after that and told me to leave. I grabbed Emily and then fled." He shrugged. "It seemed like he knew Joshua. . . He was quite infuriated when I ended up killing him. If I didn't know any better I'd say that he's on the side of Darkness."

"It doesn't matter if he's on the side of Darkness," Sora began, "We need him. I promised Dad that I would fulfill Mom's wish. I promised him."

"You don't know Lee like we do," Sanji told him. "When he makes up his mind, he keeps his word. It's unlikely that he'll change his mind and come with us if we ask him again. It was better when we thought he was dead."

"How could you say that about your own brother?" Sora asked. "I would have given basically anything to have just one sibling, and you're telling me that you just want him to be dead. Why?"

Sanji's gaze slid away from him and then towards the floor. He didn't answer the question, but from the look on his face, Sora could tell there was a reason.

"Lee wasn't particularly the nicest kid you could have been around. He was a show off, a brat if you will," Bardroy whispered to Sora. He knew that Sanji could definitely hear him, but he didn't care. "Sota never did yell at Lee for acting like he was better than everyone else. He praised him because he thought that Lee was the legendary Keyblade Master, as you already know."

Sora blinked and then looked over at Sanji who was still dead silent. Looking up at his uncle, he began, "I can guess what happened next." He took a step closer to Sanji. "He rubbed it in your face, didn't he? He picked on you, taunted and teased you. It's happened to me a lot of times. I would always get picked on at school because I didn't have any parents and I couldn't really speak for myself. But. . . I have friends who stick up for me and accept me for who I am. I'm guessing that you didn't really have anyone like that since you lived out here. . ." Sora looked up at his older brother and smiled. "But, if it does make you feel any better, I think you're really cool."

There was no answer from Sanji at first, but Sora did catch the small smile that had started to curve on his lips. "Sora. . . Thanks."

He smiled back. "You're welcome."

"Are you guys still going to go after Lee?" Bardroy asked.

"I guess we have to," Sam said, standing up from the couch and stretching. "But we'll have to do that tomorrow."

Sora nodded. "Yeah, it is pretty late and everyone's exhausted."

"You're welcome to stay," Bardroy told them. "I'm sure that if Sota had found you all, he would have brought you here first. This was the only place he had left to return to."

Savannah stood up and stretched her arms and legs. "Guess that it'll just be like old times. But, do you have enough rooms for all of us?"

Bardroy thought for a moment. "Well, there's those two beds just down the hallway and we have the couch. . . But I guess that one of you could sleep in the basement. Sanji, would you mind if~"

He protested immediately. "No! I'm not going into the basement!" Sanji took a deep breath and then folded his arms. "No. . . I'm not going down there. . ."

His anger had been so sudden and forceful that Bardroy was shocked, along with everyone else in the room. "O-Okay. . . Well, uh. . ." Bardroy thought for another moment until he came up with something. "How about Sora sleeps on the couch and Savannah and Sanji sleep in their own rooms? Sam can sleep upstairs in Emily's room. Emily can just sleep with me tonight. Would that be okay with everyone?"

"Yes, it would," Savannah concurred. "Thank you, Uncle Bardroy. We'll be gone by morning if you want us to be."

"No, no. Stay however long you like."


	3. Chapter 3 - Everything Falls Apart

**Day 20**

**Everything Falls Apart**

Once the four Davidson children were awake and fed, they started to prepare themselves. The Dominion of Darkness was waiting for them, and they were determined to get Sora Lee to come back with them.

"We have to try and stick together this time," Sora told them. "We're weaker whenever we're not in a group. Sticking together will make everything easier."

"But, it could make things harder," Sanji pointed out. "If we get caught we'll all be captured at once. We could split into groups of two."

Thinking about it for a moment, Sora nodded. "I guess that you're right. How about Savannah and I, and then Sam and you?"

Sanji nodded. "All right."

"Are you sure you don't want to come with us?" Sora asked his uncle who was standing in the kitchen. "You would be a valuable addition to our team."

"I'm sorry but I can't," Bardroy declined, shaking his head. "I have to stay here and take care of Emily. If something happens to me, she won't have anybody."

Sora nodded. "I understand. Okay then. We'll see you again when we come back."

Bardroy nodded. "Make sure you bring back Lee. If Sota entrusted you to find each other, then he must of believed that you could do it. He was more of a loner. . . Always wanting to handle things on his own."

"Will do," Sora nodded, a smile on his face. "We'll be back before you know it."

The four of them walked out of the cabin and then stepped off of the porch. "You guys remember to be careful," Bardroy warned them. "The Dominion of Darkness is a hell on earth. Anything can happen when you're there. The minions Kiari has gathered are all pretty tough, so you should watch yourselves."

"Don't worry, we will." Sam and the others waved and then they headed off into the woods. Once they stepped through the keyhole in the tree, they would be in Kiari's territory.

"Father is dead," Lee huffed. He had his arms crossed defensively as he leaned against the wall.

"Wh-What?" Taylor blinked. "Is that really why you gathered us all here?"

"This is some joke, isn't it?" Zack asked. When Lee just looked at him, he asked again more desperate than before. "It has to be! Dad wouldn't just go and leave us! You're lying! You have to be! Lee, tell us that it isn't true!"

"This is worse than losing Eric." Amiamon stared at the floor as he spoke. He muttered, "Worse than losing mother…"

"Father wanted us to leave here. He wanted us to be safe and to stay a family," Lee continued. "I'm sorry, this is all my fault… I couldn't save him."

"No, Lee," Ryan finally spoke. "You don't have to pin this all on yourself. We just need to do as Joshua would have wanted." He stood and wiped the tears from his eyes. "We can cry about this later. Kiari is busy right now, we might not have another chance. We have to leave, _now_."

"But-But-But. . . DAD!" Zack wailed, grabbing Ryan's arm.

"As much as I hate to say this, Ryan's right, we have to move," Lee said sternly, but he sniffed. Lee walked over and helped a crying Taylor to his feet. Lee looked down at him and sighed; he was never good at these things. He pulled Taylor into a hug and whispered, "It's going to be okay, all right?"

Taylor nodded and squeezed Lee.

Amiamon stood by the door, his expression unreadable. He rocked on the balls of his feet, "Let's go." Lee took the lead, holding Taylor's hand, while Ryan followed him, with Zack hanging from his arm. Amiamon took up the rear, sullen.

Their procession through the castle was quick and they were close to the entrance when a shrill voice called, "Where do you think you're going?" Kiari stood with her hands on her hips, tapping her foot. "I did tell you to go anywhere."

"We're getting the hell out of here," Amiamon informed her. "We have no reason to stay here anymore."

"Damn straight, you do. You belong to me!"

Lee released Taylor's hand, ushered him over to Ryan, and then turned to Kiari.

"I'm taking my family and you can't stop us." His Keyblade appeared in his hand. "I'll fight for my freedom if it comes to it."

A wicked smile formed on Kiari's lips, "As you wish." She drew her blade.

"Lee!" Ryan gasped, "You can't possibly~"

"Go! I can handle this!" Lee snapped.

"You're family!" Zack stated, "We can't just leave you!"

"Yeah, family means no one gets left behind or forgotten!" Taylor agreed.

"I know," Lee smiled. "I'll meet up with you guys in a little while, okay?"

Ryan nodded, "Come on, let's go." He pulled his brothers away, even though there were screaming in protest.

Before Amiamon followed he turned to Lee, "You better not be seeing Dad before us." He turned and quickly left.

Lee could only smile. His blue eyes were soft as he watched them go. He whispered, "I'm sorry guys. . . I'm not coming home this time. . ." He turned to Kiari. "If fighting you will ensure their escape, so be it!"

"I want to hear you begin to scream for mercy, just so you can see that _family_ of yours!" she laughed, charging at him him.

Lee charged at her as well. _I love you all._

"The two of you can head through this way." Sora motioned his head towards the large drawbridge that always seemed to be open. "Savannah and I will head around the back and enter from there."

Sanji nodded. "Okay, you be careful."

"You too. Anything can happen, so watch each other's back."

"Don't worry," Sanji told him. "We will."

Sora nodded, motioned to Savannah, and then the two of them walked off.

"So, I guess that we should head in," Sam stated, pointing towards the large open doorway. The two of them walked over the bridge slowly and then finally entered the Kavern.

They didn't get that far into the building when they say somebody, or rather, a group of people heading towards them. There was no time to hide from the people who were approaching them so Sanji simply planted himself in front of Sam and got ready in case they were attacked.

"Who's coming?" Sam asked, summoning her Keyblade, preparing herself in case of a battle.

"I'm not sure," Sanji answered. "Just stay behind me for now."

Once the group noticed the two of them, they froze. There were four of them, three boys and a man. The man was Ryan, the one who had helped them leave the Kavern. But where was he and his partners heading now?

Ryan blinked. "What are you doing back here? I thought you guys left. . ."

"I'll handle this." The green-haired boy with them stepped forward, a dagger gripped firmly in his hands. "Get the hell out of the way!"

"We don't want to fight," Sanji said. "We're just trying to get in the Kavern without any trouble."

"Amiamon," Ryan put his hand on his shoulder, "stand down. They're not the enemy."

Amiamon pulled away from him and snapped, "How could you say that? Their family is the one who killed Joshua! You just can't deny that!"

"They weren't the ones who did it. They had nothing to do with his death." Ryan knew that it was hard for him to accept Joshua's death, but not even Amiamon had fully gotten over it yet. "I know you're upset, but you need to reason."

"Screw reason! It's not fair that we've had to suffer! How come every single time I have something important, it gets taken away!"

Ryan was completely silent as were the other two younger boys. "Amiamon. . . I just~"

"Forget it." His voice lacked any type of hint that he cared anymore.

"Amiamon," Ryan reached out slightly, "please. . ."

Jerking away quickly, the green-haired boy took a step back. "I'm leaving. This is good-by The two boys behind Ryan finally decided to speak. The ebony-haired boy spoke first. "No. . . Amiamon, don't leave!"

Turning away from the two of them, Amiamon ran off. Sanji stared him down the entire time until he was out of the building and over the drawbridge.

"Amiamon, wait!" The two younger boys immediately chased after him. They looked like no threat, but still, Sanji watched them closely as they left the room. His gaze settled back onto Ryan when he knew that the two boys were gone. He just assumed that Ryan would chase after his three partners, but to his surprise, he walked over to him and Sam instead.

Sanji's heart paused; what did Ryan possibly want? He didn't seem like a person to fight, so what was he planning to do?

Sam stepped out from behind her older brother. "What was that about?" Before she could say more, Sanji cupped a hand over her mouth.

"Sorry. . ." Ryan began as he approached them. "You really didn't need to see that. . ."

"What do you want?" Sanji asked. He was still on edge.

"It's just. . . I helped you, and you came back. Why? It's dangerous for you to be here," Ryan answered.

"So what? Why do you care so much?" Sanji scoffed.

"It's just. . ." Ryan's blue eyes slid to the floor. "I don't want anymore innocent people to be killed by Kiari."

Sam pulled Sanji's hand away from her mouth. "You've been looking pretty sad. . . Did something happen?"

Ryan nodded, but before he answered, his looked off down the hallway. "Someone's coming."

"Ill check it out." Sam went to walk off.

"No, I'll go," Sanji intervened.

"I can take care of it. Or. . . Would you rather have me stay here with Ryan alone?" Sam asked.

"No," Sanji immediately protested. "I'll watch Ryan. You can go and check it out. But if anything happens, call for me."

"Gotcha." Sam nodded and then headed down the hall. Once Sanji made sure that his sister was safely wandering around the corner, he turned back to Ryan whose gaze had fallen back to the floor once again.

"Sam was right when she said that you looked really sad. What happened?" Sanji questioned, curiosity hitting him.

"Well. . . My father was killed just the other day. . . Apparently. . . His killer was your uncle."

Sanji's heart sank. Bardroy had said that he killed Joshua Capri, the one who had killed their mother. So did that mean that Ryan was _his_ son?

"O-Oh. . . I'm sorry. . ." Sanji apologized. "I didn't know that Joshua was your father. . . I promise that I didn't."

"It's fine. . . I don't blame you for what happened and neither do my brothers. . . It's just that Amiamon. . . He's confused. . . Joshua wasn't our real father. But he took us in and cared for us. . . Raised us. . . He saved my life." Ryan sighed. "This is so silly. . . You're a complete stranger. . . I'm sorry. . . I'm ranting to you about things you don't even care about. . . I'd better get moving. . . I promise you that I'm not the enemy. . . I just want all of us to get away from Kiari safely. . . Good-bye." He shrunk away and then went to walk off.

He stopped when Sanji asked, "Where are you going now? If you're leaving, then you won't have anywhere to go."

Ryan shrugged. "We'll manage. . ." He looked around and then whispered, "You'd better get out of here as quick as you can. Kiari's planning something bad. . . I don't now what it is, but whatever the case, it can't be good."

Sanji nodded. "Thanks for the tip," he said back in a low voice. "But, I'm sure that we can handle ourselves."

"Just be careful. . ." Ryan nodded at him and then quickly ran off.

Sanji watched him until he disappeared over the drawbridge. There was something different about him. Even though the two hardly knew each other, they seemed to have a connection of some kind. The feeling that he was experiencing in his heart was one that he had never felt. It was a warm feeling. . . A happy feeling. . . Something that rarely occurred. In fact, he couldn't even remember the last time he had a feeling like that. . .

Whenever it was, it was a long time ago. . . It must have been before. . .

Before. . .

Sanji shook his head. Whatever was in the past was gone. It didn't matter anymore. He had a purpose to live now. The past was better left forgotten.

Clutching his one arm with his other hand, Sanji bit his lip. _Just get it out of your head. . . Just forget about it now. . . It doesn't matter anymore. . . Dad's dead anyway. . ._

When he finally took his eyes away from Ryan who had just vanished into the forest, he looked over at Sam who was heading towards him. He regained his normal composure as she approached him. "Hey, where's Ryan?" she asked.

"He left."

"Why?"

"He had his own problems to attended to."

"Oh well. . . He seemed like a nice guy. . . He's not our enemy, right?"

A small smile formed on Sanji's face. "No. . . He's not our enemy. He's an ally."

"Hey look." Sam pointed towards the entrance. Sora and Savannah were heading their way. When they approached, Sam asked, "What's wrong? I thought you were heading around the back."

"We were going to," Sora started, "but there's some people standing back there. One of them is Lamont, and you don't want to run into him. We just decided to come back around this way. What's the hold up with you guys?"

"We ran into Ryan, Amiamon, and two other boys. They just left the Kavern," Sam told them.

"Did they say where they were going?" Savannah asked.

Sanji shook his head. "No. They're just leaving. But we don't have to worry about them. . . At least not Ryan. He's an ally."

Sora folded his arms in defense. "Oh yeah. He killed our father."

Savannah turned to him. "If Kiari was ordering him to do it, then technically, it was her doing and not his. From what I've heard, people who work for Kiari just do what she says so they don't get themselves killed."

"Still. . . They murdered Dad. . ." Sora huffed. "I'm not forgiving them until I have a good reason."

"Instead of moping about the lost, why don't we get moving?" Sam suggested. "May as well before Kiari's pawns realize that we're here."

"Fine." Sora took the lead, heading down the straight hallway that he knew would soon turn into a passageway of corridors. Walking through the castle and trying to keep track of where you've been was almost as bad as the Labyrinth.

From time to time, Sora would glance and make sure that his siblings were keeping up. His eyes kept skimming back over to Sanji for some strange reason. There was something oddly familiar about him. . . Something that he couldn't figure out. . . He looked at Sanji's blonde hair and then down to his green eyes when the sudden realization hit him.

"You know," Sora began, coming to a stop, "you kind of look like Dad. . . No, you look almost exactly like him. You have the attitude, the blonde hair, the eyes~"

Without a sign of warning, Sanji grabbed his brother by the scruff of the neck and lifted him off of his feet. "Shut up!" he yelled. "He and I are nothing alike! Don't compare me to that bastard!"

"I-I'm sorry!" Sora quickly apologized.

Sanji released him, took a few steps forward, and then crossed his arms defensively across his chest. A disgusted frown was plastered on his face as was a look of pure anger. "Let's just find Lee and get out of here already," he huffed, and then marched off.

Savannah and Sam were completely silent as they watched Sanji take the lead. Sora blinked rapidly, trying to get his pulse to regain its normal regular beat. _What. . . What was that all about? Why did he. . ? I should ask him about it. . . But that was pretty scary. . . I don't want to see that side of Sanji ever again. . . Maybe it's best just to keep quiet. . ._

Sora shook his head and then slowly followed after his brother. He was careful not to say anything regarding their father or Sanji's past while he spoke, but the more he thought about it, the more he questioned it. Sanji hadn't shown any sadness or any type of sorrow when they had found out that Sota was dead. It wasn't out of place for Sam not to feel any type of emotion towards the news, but as for Sanji, not one word had come out of his mouth when he was told about their father's tragic passing.

And that brought Sora to yet another question that he was curious about. _Did something happen between Dad and Sanji that I don't know about?_

Panting, Amiamon slid down onto the ground. The forest he was in was new to him, but he didn't really care. His location was the furthest thing from his mind. Ditching Ryan, Zack, and Taylor had been complicated, but after switching directions a few times and heading East instead of West, he knew that they'd never find him.

Leaning against the tree, he looked into the sky. It was so bright, so full of light. It beat the Dominion of Darkness's sky any day. Still, the same thought was lingering in the back of his mind. A question that was nagging his brain for the last couple days.

Sighing deeply, he pulled out his dagger and stared at it. It's shiny surface reflected in the sunlight. Amiamon frowned and eyed the menacing weapon intently. Again, he questioned himself mentally again.

_What else do I have to live for? Mother's dead. . . So is Father. . . And Joshua just died too. . . I doubt that Lee's coming back yet. . . He's an awful liar. . . Or maybe I'm just used to being lied to. . . I can't take this anymore. . . Nothing matters. . . No one would miss me. . ._

_I'm just going to disappear._

_Ryan, Zack, and Taylor would be better off without me anyway. . ._

Amiamon held up his dagger, the sharp end lingering just above his heart. From various books he read, he knew the exact part of the body where the heart lied. One deep stab in a certain area and you'd surely be dead. That's what he was aiming for. Something quick and easy. He didn't know whether there was a proper way to commit suicide or not, but he didn't care. Whatever was the fastest and less painful way was good enough for him.

A bead of sweat rolled down his face. He chewed on lip until he realized that he was just trying to buy himself time. He wanted to die. That was the only thing left for him to do. Too much death had occurred in his life, and he didn't want to have to witness it ever again. One last death, his death, was the only thing that he wanted to see.

With both hands gripped firmly around the handle, Amiamon went to strike himself. If it wasn't for the rustle in the bushes, he would have been long gone. He pulled the knife away from his chest and pointed it threateningly towards whatever was in the bushes.

Emily was skipping through the woods, enjoying the warm afternoon, when she stepped through a patch of bushes and came face to face with a boy who was pointing a knife at her. She was shocked at first; from what she knew, her and her father were the only ones who lived the woods. But, after a few moments, the fear that building up inside her started to die down. The boy looked more afraid of her than she was of him.

She reached out her hand slightly. "H-Hello. . ?"

Amiamon blinked rapidly when he noticed that it was just a little girl. He didn't respond, but did lower his knife partially. What could a little girl possibly do to him? But he was suspicious. "Who are you? What are you doing out here?"

Emily blinked. "I live out here. . . My name's Emily Davidson."

_Davidson? _Amiamon raised an eyebrow. "Are you related to Sora?"

"He's my cousin," she replied. "What about you? What are you doing out here?"

"What's it to you?" Amiamon asked harshly.

"I don't really care. . . But, it would be nice to know if you're a threat or not. You wouldn't want me going home and telling my Daddy about you. He might just shoot you."

_That may not be such a bad idea. . . _"Look, I'm not a threat. Just go away. I'm busy. You're interrupting my concentration."

"What were you thinking about?" Emily asked.

"Nothing,"Amiamon replied.

"If it was nothing then it couldn't have been important." While the boy in front of her tried to think of a reply, Emily took a moment to take in his characteristics. Even though his green hair, long black fingernails, pointed ears, and rather sharp teeth, he was kind of handsome in his own weird way. He may have looked dark, like he was some kind of criminal, but overall, he didn't look very threatening. And if he hadn't attacked her yet, then he probably wouldn't.

"What I was thinking about is none of your concern. Just get out of here. I don't need anymore distractions," he told her.

"I'm not leaving. I'm involved now, so I can't leave. Not until I know why you're here."

Amiamon frowned. "I'm just passing through. . . I'll be gone soon enough. . ."

"Don't you have a family you belong to?"

He shook his head. "Not really. . . My parents are dead. . . I'm pretty sure my brother's dead too. . . I don't have any other purpose to live now. . . I'm useless to this world."

Emily stepped closer to him. "Nobody's useless. . . I'm sure you have a purpose to be in this would just as everyone else does." She smiled. "It sounds like you've a pretty rough life so far. . . But, if you need one. . . I could be your friend."

Amiamon blinked. He had finally lowered his knife the entire way down to the ground and sheathed it. His heart ached with confusion. Staying away from friends was one of the things he tried to do. He had always been a loner, almost for as long as he could remember. Friends were one thing that he had never really had. He had his brothers, but they were more closer to him then a friend could be.

"Friend. . ?" Amiamon cocked his head. "Why would you want to be friends with me?"

"Well. . . Just my father and I live out in these woods. . . I don't have any friends. . . It would be nice to have someone else to talk to other then myself and him. . ." Emily explained. "So. . . what do you say?" She extended her hand.

Amiamon thought for awhile. Whatever suicidal thoughts that were in his head faded away. He stood up and then took the little girl's tiny hand. "I would like that."

She smiled warmly up at him. "What's your name?"

He smiled back at her. "Amiamon Livic."

Lamont bowed before the Mistress he served. "Mistress Kiari, you called?" He stood back up, a loyal smile on his face.

"Yes, it's about time you arrived." Kiari stood, staring out the large window in her tower. "I'm aware that you've heard about Kingdom Hearts, right?"

Lamont nodded. "Who has not heard of the kingdom of the most purest Light?"

"Well, you've probably heard rumors about it, but I'm planning to use a pure heart to open the Door to Light. Once it's opened, Kingdom Hearts will be vulnerable and then I'll finally have the chance to claim it mine."

"I have heard some information on the matter, but not all of it. You can not trust the other fools that walk these halls. Please, continue."

"I've done a little research and have figured out that Sora has a heart that can open Kingdom Hearts. But, once the heart is sacrificed to open the Door to Light, the owner of the given heart will die. That's where my problem starts. But, I think I've thought of a way to solve my interference. Do you think that maybe some of the pureness of his heart has rubbed off on the siblings that are with him?" Kiari asked.

Lamont smirked. "We have no way of being sure. Well. . . We could always try it out on all of them to make sure. . . The more pain they are in, the more fun we will have. That could always be a choice."

"Yes, it could be." Kiari sighed. "Very well, we'll start with that. If all else fails, then we can think of something else. I believe that Sora and his siblings are in this castle somewhere. What do you think?"

"I can feel his radiance. . . Joshua is dead, so it must be coming from Sora himself. They are here, somewhere," Lamont replied.

"Good. Gather the others and round them up. Oh, and that boy, Sora Lee. . . He should be around the castle somewhere too. After I injured him, he ran off. He couldn't have gotten far. I'm sure he's still in the castle somewhere, bleeding. If you see him, try his heart as well," Kiari ordered. "I'm sure that scum like him couldn't be worthy of opening the Door to Light, but I'm not taking any chances. He is the brother of Sora, so it could be possible."

Lamont bowed as he did when he had entered her chamber. "Yes, Mistress Kiari."

Sora was finally able to take the lead in front of Sanji. His older brother didn't protest when he did, which he was thankful for. After the last lash out Sanji had, he didn't want to see it again. He could remember when the two of them had just met, a couple of days before in the Kavern. He had said something about being a monster. Was that what he meant?

He knew that asking would just make Sanji angrier, so he put that question on hold. As the four of them wandered down the corridor, something that Sora wasn't prepared for happened.

They ran into Lamont.

"Greetings," he smiled.

Sora summoned his Keyblade immediately. "What do you want?"

Lamont shrugged. "Why so harsh? I only just arrived and you are mad at me. What have I ever done to deserve such attitude?"

"Don't give me that!" Sora yelled. "You almost killed Riku! For that, I'll never forgive you!" He didn't charge at him, but it took all of his insanity not to.

"Sora, who is that?" Sanji whispered.

"He's a pawn of Kiari's. And a dangerous one at that. Don't take your eyes off of him. He'll attack you without warning. Just keep watching him," Sora told Sanji and his sisters. "He's crafty. He hurt my friend Riku, and Riku is one of the strongest people I know. . . Be careful."

They stared at Lamont's never wavering smile. His gray eyes were full of Darkness, a deep abyss. Just staring into his eyes was like falling down a dark pit of despair and entering Hell itself.

Lamont sighed and then his gaze slid down to the satchel that hung around his side. He pulled out the large book that he always carried around. It was as long as his torso, but larger than his chest in width. Engraved it it's hard cover were words that said, _Devil's Deed. _Demonic carvings circled around the cover in eerie ways.

He opened the book and the large pages seemed to turn themselves until they stopped. Studying the page for a moment, the smile on his face grew wider. "This should be appropriate." Sticking his thumb into his mouth and biting down hard until it bled, he placed it onto a word in the book and then chanted,

"For in your hand you will take this blade.

From your blood and soul is this weapon made.

Thou shall come to my hand,

for you to obey my every command!"

An unseen wind blew around him and then a weapon appeared in Lamont's hand. It was a sword. Sora blinked a few times. _Did he just pull that out of the book? But, how did he do that? What kind of a book is that?_

"Now," Lamont began, "shall we begin?" He took a step forward, holding the sword that was almost as long as him in just one hand, and then stood in a battle stance. Lamont's smile was so eerily calm that it made Sora's pulse race. Whatever game he was playing, he didn't like it. He was so focused on the thirteen-year-old that he almost didn't see the other pawns that had sneaked up on them.

Sora Lee limped down the hallway, a trail of his blood following him. He clutched the slice on his side and winced. _Damn it. . . I can't keep going on like this. . . Damn that Kiari. . . She's a lot stronger than I thought. . . _Shaking his head, he tried to clear his suddenly blurry vision.

_Am I going to die here?_

He peered down the next corridor and then quickly made sure he was hidden when he saw Lamont and some of the other pawns. Remembering well that Joshua had told him to stay away from him, he checked to see if he had been spotted. Thankfully, Lamont had been looking in the other direction.

Lee mentally sighed in relief. Just as he was about to turn around and head down the opposite hall, he caught sight of Sanji and Savannah. His twin sister was screaming as she watched her older brother go flying through the wall.

"Sanji!" Sora cried. He dodged a swipe from a sword that Amalia had aimed towards him. He jumped over the sword that slashed at his feet and then did a back flip away from her. "Sanji! You okay?"

Rubbing his head, Sanji nodded. "Yeah, I'm good." He stood up and resumed fighting.

Lamont had been attacking Savannah for awhile, but he finally paused. He gave his large sword a toss and then pulled his large book out once again. Pulling out another weapon, a lance, he placed the book back into his satchel and then glanced around, ordering, "Keep Sora, Sanji, and Savannah occupied while I go after the carrier of the pure heart!"

When Sora heard Lamont's words, he came to a halt. _Carrier of the pure heart. . ? What's he talking about? _Thinking back, he could remember Sam mentioning something about opening Kingdom Hearts. That was the only thing he could think of that would have to do with pure hearts. _But then. . . What does Kiari have planned. . ? Who's the carrier of the pure heart? Lamont said. . ._

_No way. . ._

_Shit! _Sora avoided the next slash from Amalia and then dodge-rolled across the floor until he was next to Sam who was warding off Viola. Kicking the purple-haired girl and shoving her away, Sora pulled his sister closer to himself and then began, "Sam, we have to get out of here. . . _You_ have to get out of here."

Sam blinked rapidly. "Why? What's wrong, Sora?"

"Remember what you told me before? You said that you heard someone discussing something about opening Kingdom Hearts. They need a pure enough heart to do that."

"So what?"

"I. . . I think that your heart is pure enough."

Sam was silent for a moment. "But how~"

"I don't know the details, but I just heard Lamont say something about it," Sora explained. "Just to be on the safe side, I want you to get out here. Run through the Black Forest, and then head back to Uncle Bardroy's. You'll be safe there. We'll be right behind you."

"But~"

"Just go!"

Sam was about to turn around when the two of them could hear Sanji screaming from behind them, "Sora! Sam! Watch out! He's heading right towar~"

Sanji's warning was blocked out when blood splattered onto Sora's face. He blinked once, hoping that the shocked look on Sam's face was just a figment of his imagination. Sticking out of her chest was the tip of Lamont's lance.

"Sam!" Sora cried. His eyes slid onto Lamont, who was still smiling. He pulled the lance out of Sam's body and then grabbed her by the arm before she could slump onto the ground. She was still alive, but falling unconscious. The only thing keeping her mind running was the pain.

Lamont drug Sam with her across the room. He placed his hand over her heart and then narrowed his eyes. "Yes. . . She is the one who can open the Door to Light. Her heart shines with a Light of great power. . . And the Mistress Kiari will obtain it." Lifting his hand in the air, it coated over in a black fire. "If you can still hear me, then you may want to brace yourself. This is going to hurt agonizingly." With a quick movement, Lamont pressed his hand over the exact spot where Sam's heart should have been.

Even though she was hardly conscious anymore, Sam screamed. It was so loud and ear-penetrating that Lamont placed his free hand over her mouth, and irritated look on his face.

Savannah placed a hand over her mouth, not knowing what to do. She and Sora were terrified. Whatever Lamont was doing to their sister, it was agonizing to watch.

Sanji watched with wide eyes. The pain that was plastered on Sam's face when Lamont had placed his burning hand over her heart was a look that would be engraved in his mind forever. He thought and thought, but he didn't know what he could do to help his little sister. Chewing on his lip, he clenched his fists.

Just when he had someone to care about. Just when he found people who were willing to be his friends. Just when he found people he could trust. . . They were being taken away.

Anger flared inside of Sanji's heart, turning into an uncontrollable riot of flames. His fists lit on fire, as did his legs and arms. The fire burning throughout his skin was one that could melt the very stones the Kavern was built on.

Lamont carefully pulled his hand away from Sam's body, something bright floating between his fingers. Just from the shape, Sora could see that it was a heart.

A pure one at that. The Light that radiated from it could be felt just by looking at it. It Sam's heart. Completely silent now, Sam was immobile.

Sora's heart lurched. If his sister's heart was in Lamont's hand, then that meant that his sister didn't have a heart. And if her heart was no longer in her body, then it wasn't beating. And if it wasn't beating, then. . .

Then his sister was dead.

The blood that pumping through Sanji's veins was hot, scorching. Hatred was burning inside him, the same hatred that he had lived with all his life. The flames that were dancing along his limbs were just reminders of the monster that he truly was. And if that was what he was destined to be, then that was what he was going to be.

In one lash out, the large room was rising up in flames. Lamont dropped Sam's body onto the ground and then stood up. Ignoring the fire that was surrounding him, the stared at the heart in his hand. "I find it astounding how much Light one little thing like this can contain. . . But, it is sad how so much power can easily become overwhelmed by the Darkness. The Dark Lord is thinking the same thing also, surely. Mistress Kiari will be happy to receive this." Turning to some of the others who were too busy trying to dodge the flames that were directed towards them, he said, "As for the rest of you, you can return to your other duties. Or, you could make yourselves useful and try to capture Sora and his other siblings." With that last statement, he wandered off, not giving one care about the flames that almost engulfed him.

Savannah quickly jumped through one of the walls of flame that had blocked her off from the rest of castle halls. She rubbed her arms, trying to make the burning heat in them subside.

"Savannah?"

The brunette looked up and met a familiar pair of blue eyes. "Lee?" He was clutching his bloody side, but sure enough, it was her younger brother. "Lee!" She ran over to him and locked him in a tight embrace. "Where have you been? What happened?" Savannah eyed his wound.

"It was Kiari. . . What are you doing back here? I thought I told you to leave!" He had his hands on her shoulders and was giving her a firm shake. "What were you thinking!?"

"We couldn't just leave you here. . . Uncle Bardroy told us that you threatened him. Why? He's our uncle Lee."

Lee frowned. "He killed my father."

"But our Dad is Sota. . . Who do you~"

"I don't consider Sota my father!" Lee sighed and then his voice softened. "I'm sorry. . . But you need to leave. Kiari has a plot, and she's trying to kill all of us."

"You never did meet Sora or Sam, did you?"

Lee raised an eyebrow.

"I guess you didn't. . . Those two are our brother and sister too," Savannah told him. "There's so much you don't know. . . Please, will you come with us? Lamont did something to Sam and now Sanji's mad and. . . Everything's just falling apart. . . Please, come back with us! I miss you!" She hugged him tightly once again, tears in the corners of her eyes.

Lee's gaze slid to the floor. "I'll go with you until you get away from Kiari. . . But after that, I'm on my own."

Savannah nodded, wiping the tears away. "Thank you. . . Try not to get in any fights with Sanji on our way there."

"No promises." Peering down the hallway and coughing because of the smoke, Lee narrowed his eyes. "How's the place catch on fire?"

"Sanji did it."

"Sanji?"

Savannah nodded.

"How?"

"Wow. . . There really is a lot that you don't know. . . I'll explain it later. But for right now, we need to go. Come~"

"Look out!" Lee shoved Savannah out of the way just as part of ceiling collapsed. Dust and bits of rubble flew in every direction. Savannah looked up and frantically glanced around.

"Lee? Lee!" She rushed over to the pile of rubble where he had been buried. Pushing rocks and chunks of stones away, she finally found her brother. Savannah got a firm grip on his torso and then drug him out as carefully as she could. "Lee? Answer me."

He let out a moan and then opened his eyes. Bruises were forming all over his body. Cuts ran down along his arms and there was a new slice on his side that was oozing out the little blood that was left in his body.

"Oh god Lee. . . You have to get up. We need to get out of here, now." Placing her arms under his and forcing him onto his feet, Savannah led him a short ways down the hallway until he had to stop. Gasping for the breath that he just couldn't seem to breathe in, Lee fell to his knees. "Lee, we need to get moving! We have to get out of here before~"

An explosion occurred just in front of them, causing the two of them to fly off of their feet. Smoke filled the room and chunks of stone and wall was scattered everywhere. Sparks showered the floor. The fire that had engulfed the hallway had spread down into some of the other halls as well.

Savannah winced and then slowly got to her feet. Various burns were covering her body, but none of them were very painful. Looking around, she spotted her brother. From most of his torso down was buried in rubble. Racing over to him, she fell to her knees. "Lee!" Savannah cried, giving him a slight shake. She prayed that he was still alive.

Luckily, her prayers were answered. Lee moaned painfully and then opened his blue eyes that were now full of pain. He attempted to sit up, but when he noticed all the stuff covering his body, he immediately gave up. "Savannah. . . Just leave me here. Just go."

"No." Savannah shook her head. "You're my brother. I just found you, and I'm not going to leave you here. Quit trying to change my mind."

"Please, just~"

"No." Clearing away what she could, Savannah grabbed a hold of her brother's torso once again and tugged strongly. She managed to get most of him out from underneath the heap of junk, but as for his waist down, it refused to come out. When she tried again, Lee cried out in pain.

"W-W-W-Wait!" Lee begged, making his sister pause. "My leg's caught on something. . . Whatever it is is sharp and whenever you try to pull me out it keeps cutting in deeper."

"Damn it," Savannah cursed. She moved over to where Lee's legs were supposedly stuck underneath the rubble. When she could see what was stabbing his leg, she gasped. A iron bar, jagged because it had snapped in half, was tearing into Lee's one leg. If it cut any deeper, his leg would be separated from the rest of his body. "Oh Lee. . . I don't think I can get you out without help. . ."

"There's no time either way. . ." Lee let the rest of his body lie back on the ground. "I don't care anymore. . ."

"Don't say that." Savannah walked over to him and then knelt down. "Don't you give up now."

"I just can't do it anymore. . ."

"Yes, you can!"

"You don't understand! I don't want to live anymore!"

Savannah froze. "W-What? But Lee. . . Why not?"

He shook his head. "I just can't. . ."

"You have to give me a reason."

"I don't have any other reason to live for. My father's dead. . . He died just a couple days ago. The only thing I wanted to do after that was get who was important to me out of this castle, and I've already done that," Lee explained. "I'm on the verge of death as it is. . . There's no way I'll survive this. . . I've lost too much blood. . . I don't have that much time left."

"But Lee~"

He cut Savannah off again. "Just leave, now. Get Sanji and whoever else you were with out of here while you still can. It's not worth it to die for me."

"B-But Lee. . ." Savannah grabbed his hand and pressed it to her chest. "We're twins. We stay together. . . Please. . . Lee. . ."

Lee shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I just can't. I've lived my life. . . You have other things to live for. . ." He smiled. "You have gotten really beautiful over the years. . . You can have a real life, something to look forward to. I've already done everything I've wanted to do."

"But. . ." Savannah looked away from him, her eyes wet with tears. "Okay Lee. . . I trust you. . . But please, remember me, if you can."

Lee smiled softly. "Okay. . . Thanks for understanding. . ."

Savannah nodded, leaned forward, and kissed her brother softly on the forehead. She stood up, wiped the tears from her face, and then went to walk away.

"Savannah?"

She turned around at the sound of her brother's voice. It was soft, thankful. "I'm glad. . . that I got to see you again. . ."

Savannah smiled back at him and then turned away from her brother. She ran down the burning hallway. Lee had accepted his Fate, but where were Sanji and Sora? And what about Sam? Was she really dead?

Sora hid behind a stone pillar to shield himself from next blast of fire that broke out in the hallway. _What happened to Sam? Is. . . Is she. . ? _He shook his head violently. _No, she can't possibly. . . She's not. . . _Peering around the corner, Sora located his sister's limp body lying on the stone floor. "Sam!" He made his way over to her, glancing around to see if anyone was around. "Sam!" He pulled her motionless body into his arms. "Sam, please. . ."

Remembering the oddly shaped orb in Lamont's hand as he had walked away, Sora placed his head on her chest, directly above the spot where her heart should have been located.

He listened for a heartbeat, but he never got one. His heart ached horribly. "No. . . Damn it. . ." He fought away his tears, knowing that if he cried now, he wouldn't be able to stop.

He was just about to stand up when Sam's body began to glow a light bluish color. Her figure shimmered and then in an instant, was replaced by a glimmering poof of sparkles that soon faded away as well.

Staring at his now empty arms, Sora grasped the fistful of clothing that covered his chest.

"No. . ." When Sota had died, the same thing had happened with the disappearance of the body. He knew that wherever the body was heading, it was definitely to the next life.

If there was a next life, that is.

And, if the same thing happened to Sota, then that meant that Sam was gone for good.

Anger was growing inside Sora, but he knew that he couldn't react that way. He had to control it. If he lost his mind to the Darkness, there would be no more hope, and the promise that he had made to himself and Sota would be broken. The promise about not letting himself be taken over by the Darkness's grip again.

Standing up and glancing around, Sora yelled, "Sanji! Savannah! We have to get out of here! Head towards the exit and meet me at the Keyhole!" As he was running towards the hallway that he could recall would lead to the entrance, he almost collided with Savannah.

"Sora? What happened? Where's Sam?" she asked.

"She's. . ." He had to force the words out. "She's not coming. . ." Sora couldn't say anymore without his voice cracking. "Let's hurry."

Just before Savannah went to follow her younger brother, she called, "Sanji! Come on! We're leaving!"

The room was fading into a blur. His body was ravaged by pain and it was getting difficult to breathe because of the smoke filling his lungs. His body burned and was hot, but it was only a matter of time before the flames reached him and then engulfed his body.

Sora Lee could hardly see anything, so he closed his eyes. Whenever he heard footsteps, he narrowly opened his eyes, curious to see whoever it was. If he was going to die, there was really no point in worrying anyway. He expected to see Lamont or even Kiari, but to his surprise, it was his older brother.

Sanji.

Lee instinctively narrowed his eyes at his older brother. Neither of them said anything, just stared at each other menacingly. Lee sat halfway up, his disgusted from never wavering. "What do you want?"

Sanji was still glaring at him when he answered, "What are you doing? I thought that if anyone, Savannah would have been able to convince you to come back with us. Why aren't you?"

"Wouldn't you like to know? Well, I guess there's no point in hiding it, so I"m just going to say it. I'd rather die now."

"Why? Why are you throwing your life away?"

"You don't know anything about me Sanji. You could never understand. . . I'm just sick of living. . . I don't have anything else to look forward to. All I want to do is die."

Sanji finally broke his hateful gaze. "So that's it then, huh? Just going to wait to burn to death in this Hellhole?"

"No. . . Actually, I want you to do something for me. . ."

Sanji raised an eyebrow. Not only was it unusual for him to ask a request, but Lee had also stopped glaring and lost his normal frown. Both occasions were rare. Very rare. Sanji's disgusted look disappeared also. "What do you want?"

Lee's eyes slid to the floor. "I'm asking you. . . as a brother. . . Please, kill me."

The words that had formed on Lee's lips made Sanji's pulse race. Kill him? How could he? Even though he and Lee had more of a jealous and detestable relationship, something in his wounded heart was telling him that he just couldn't.

Lee looked up at Sanji, his blue eyes changing back to eyes full of repulsiveness. "What's the matter Sanji? Afraid?"

Sanji's heart twisted with pain and rage.

Lee smirked. "Heh, looks like Dad was right. You are weak. You could never~"

Sanji snapped his fingers and Lee's words were cut short by an explosion that destroyed most of the corridor.

Sora and Savnanah were running towards the drawbridge when they heard and felt the explosion. The sixteen-year-old spun around. "What was that?"

"I'm not sure. . . Maybe Sanji got hung up."

"Maybe. . . But he can take care of himself," Sora told her. "He'll meet up with us whenever he can."

They were just about to continue on when Savannah said, "Oh! Here he comes now!" Savannah told him, motioning to the blonde who was quickly running towards them.

"Let's go!" Sora ordered, charging towards the forest, his brother and sister trailing right behind him.

"My father was killed in war. He was fighting to protect us and let my family have a better future, but he ended up dying in doing so. My mother and I made along for awhile after he was gone, but my mom caught a deadly disease, and she ended up dying too. Ever since I was six, I've basically been a loner. I met a man who adopted me. He provided food and shelter, so I stayed with him for as long as I could. He was just killed awhile though. . . That's why I left home. . ."

Emily stared up at Amiamon. "I'm sorry. . ." She sighed sadly. "My mom's dead too. She was murdered when I was very young. I was too little to remember her. I never had a chance to find out what she was like. . . But, still, you've been through a lot more than me."

He nodded.

"You have somewhere to stay now. If you'd like, you could stay with my father and I. We could provide food and shelter if you need it," Emily offered.

"That's very kind of you, but no thanks," Amiamon declined. "I can take care of myself. I'm a survivor. I've lived in the forest for years. I can handle it."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I'm a shape-shifter so it's easy to adapt to an area."

"A shape-shifter?" Emily's voice was full of interest. "Really? What can you turn into?"

Amiamon thought for a moment. "Well, basically any kind of animal. Rarely, I can turn into other people, but it's hard for me to do that."

"That's cool! Can you shape-shift for me?"

Amiamon smiled. "Sure." He bent over and then his body quickly started to convert into something else. Emily smiled happily when there was suddenly a deer standing straight in front of her. She gently ran her hand down along the deer's soft fur. Amiamon lowered the animal's head so the ten-year-old could run her fingers along the creature's large antlers protruding out of its skull.

"Wow. . ." she breathed. "What other animals can you turn into?"

All of the sudden, the deer transformed into a large bear. It stood up on its hind legs and towered over Emily. "That's amazing!" Emily gasped. "How did you learn how to do that? Amiamon converted back into his normal self and shrugged. "It just came naturally."

"Wow. . . I wish I could do something like that. . . Daddy's a Keyblade Master, but I'm pretty sure I can't do any of the things he can do."

"Maybe you just haven't awakened it yet. You're pretty young," Amiamon told her. "Don't get upset about it. You'll get strong one of these days."

"You think so?"

"Count on it."

Emily looked up at Amiamon again and smiled. She felt so much happier when she was with him. Her eyes slid up to the sky which was growing darker. "Aw man. . ." she sighed.

"What's wrong?"

"It's getting late. Daddy usually likes me home before dark," Emily explained. "He gets worried if I stay out too late. I'm sorry, but I have to go home now."

Amiamon frowned and then nodded. "Okay, but, you will come back tomorrow, right?"

The blonde nodded.

"Do you need help getting home?" She shook her head. "No, I know this forest like the back of my hand. See you tomorrow Amiamon." She waved to him as she skipped away.

Amiamon waved back at her until she was out of sight.


	4. Chapter 4 - The Spilling of Blood

**Day 21**

**The Spilling of Blood**

The next morning, the sun hadn't even risen yet when Emily approached her father. He was outside, resting on the porch. "Daddy, can I go out in the woods and play?"

"This early? Did you even eat any breakfast?"

Emily's gaze slid to the left. "I'm not hungry," she lied. "But please, can I?"

Bardroy was about to say yes when he glanced up at the sky. It was strangely dark. He knew what storm clouds looked like, but that wasn't the case. He didn't know why, but ever since he woke up that morning, he had been getting an odd feeling in his gut. And whatever that feeling was, he didn't like it.

"You know. . ." he began, standing up. "I actually want you to stay home today." Bardroy could see the disappointment on his daughter's face. "It's supposed to storm sometime and just to be safe, I want you to stay here. Okay?"

"But Daddy. . ." Emily frowned and then sighed. "Okay. . ." She wandered back into the house and then slumped down on the couch.

Bardroy took another look back up at the sky. The clouds reminded him more of the Darkness that liked take over hearts. As he walked back into his house, he still couldn't help to think that something strange was going on.

_I wonder where Sora and the others are. . . It's been about a day. I thought they'd be back by now. I hope nothing happened. . . _Feeling the need to, Bardroy wandered over to the window and then gazed out at his front yard. He hoped to see his nephews and nieces returning to the house, but instead, he caught sight of another boy.

He was probably thirteen years old, standing just outside in front of the house. His ebony hair curved up a bit just above his shoulders, just as his sinister smile did with his cheeks.

What he was seeing was so out of place that he looked away for a few moments and then looked back. The boy was very much real. And now he was beginning to walk towards the cabin.

If was just himself, he wouldn't have been worrying that much, but when the thought came back to him that Emily was in the house, his heart sank deeply. He looked over his shoulder at Emily who was still slumped down on the couch. She must have saw the troubled look in his eyes because he bored expression changed instantly to one of growing fear. "Daddy. . ? What's the matter?"

He quickly made his way over to her. "We have to get out of the house." He scooped her up into his arms and then headed towards the basement stairwell. As he made his way down, his daughter was now panicking.

"What's wrong? Why do we have to leave?"

Bardroy didn't answer, just advanced to the bottom floor of his house. He sat Emily down on her feet and then walked over to the small basement window. He peered out of it for just a moment to see the ebony-haired boy just approaching the front door. He could hear a slight knocking sound that was soon replaced with a noise that sounded like the front door busting off the hinges.

Emily stared up the staircase in horror. "Daddy, what's going~" He quickly placed a hand over her mouth to silence her. He could hear voices upstairs, and by the sound of it, there were three people. Two boys and one girl. Just from one of the voices of one of the boys, he could recognize the group as some of the pawns that worked for Kiari.

"Where do you suppose they are?"

"Does it matter? Mistress Kiari wants them eliminated, and that is our task. The Dark Lord senses that they are here somewhere. Search the house. Kill the man on sight, and the daughter too."

Bardroy spun his daughter around so she was facing him. Her fear-filled eyes were enough of a hint to show that she was terrified. Bardroy put a finger to his lips to signal her to be quiet. He took her hand and then guided her along the floor. He knew the house inside out so he knew exactly where the floor boards creaked and where they didn't.

They entered the second half of the basement where there was a door that led outside. Stepping away from his daughter for just a moment, Bardroy peered outside. There was no one else out there, thankfully. Taking his daughter by the hand, he cautiously opened the door and then went out into his yard.

Quietly closing the door behind him, Bardroy pulled Emily along with him and then stood up straight against the house, trying his best to be unseen when he heard footsteps advancing onto the porch.

"Do you think they ran off?"

"No. They must be around here somewhere. I can feel their presence; they are close. Search the perimeter."

Bardroy tapped Emily's shoulder and then pointed towards the forest. She nodded and then the two of them slowly started making their way towards the trees. The got to the border of the woods and then placed themselves behind a large tree.

"Daddy, who are those people, and what are they doing at our house?" Emily asked.

"They're probably looking for Sora. . ." Bardroy answered in a whisper. He knew that that it was likely that Kiari wanted his nephews and nieces dead, but from what he had heard in the house, it sounded as though she wanted himself and Emily dead also. The last thing he wanted to do was scare Emily even more so he decided to leave that part out when he told her the rest. "Kiari wants Sora. . . She probably figured that he came back here."

"But where is Sora?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. . ." From where he was standing, Bardroy could see the strange visitors wandering around his household. He spotted the larger boy, Flexis, wandering around the yard and then saw the purple-haired girl, Viola, searching around the border of the forest just opposite of them. But where was the other one?

"Going somewhere, are you?"

The next thing that happened was more of a quick blur. When Bardroy spun around, standing just between him and Emily was the same ebony-haired boy, except this time there was a hatchet in his hand. The boy swung the weapon around in an arc. Bardroy was able to avoid the attack with little effort, but as for Emily, he was able to grab her just as the sharp object almost made contact with her neck.

Emily let out a cry as she was roughly tugged from side to side. The boy in front of her was swinging his ax so dangerously fast that she wondered if he was going to end up hurting himself. The two of them were forced out of the shadows of the forest trees and back into the open clearing.

While dodging the swipes by the threat in front of him, Bardroy caught sight of Flexis charging at him from out of the corner of his eye. At the last second, he swerved away from him, Emily in his arms. Again, for as big as Flexis was, he sure was fast. He retaliated quick enough to inflict a hit that sent Bardroy into the air.

Emily screamed; she hadn't been hurt by the strike, but she knew very well just by the impact that her father's have to have been in some serious pain. Landing onto his back and then doing a couple tumbles across the ground, Bardroy slid to a stop. He groaned and got back up, desperately looking around for Emily. She was only a few feet away from her. He scampered over to her and then pulled her onto her feet.

"Are you all right?"

Emily nodded. "I'm fine. . . But what about you?" She gasped. "You're bleeding!" There was a gash above Bardroy's one eye and blood was rolling down his forehead.

"I'll be fine. It's just a scratch." Bardroy held out his hand a let his Keyblade materialize. He flexed his fingers around the handle. "I want you to stand back. As long as you stay out of the way, then you should be safer."

"But you can't possibly take them by yourself!" Emily gasped. "Please Daddy! What if you~"

"I'll be fine." Bardroy sent his daughter a smile. "I'm strong, remember?"

"I know. . . But, please. . . Please be safe. . ."

Bardroy soft eyes narrowed into a glare when they skimmed away from his daughter and back to the three threats. Viola was to the left, Flexis was to his right, and the boy was standing in front of him.

"You are Bardroy Davidson, I presume?" Not only his looks, but even his voice was intimidating. "And this is your daughter?" He motioned his head towards Emily.

Bardroy didn't answer but just continued to send them his icy glare.

"We have come to kill you, but first, we have some questions that must need answered." He pointed at him and then ordered, "Seize him!"

Amiamon sat, staring into space. It was early, but he hoped that Emily would arrive soon. It's what he looked forward to the most that day, if anything at all. Everything was perfectly normal until he got a chill, something that didn't occur often. Not unless something bad was happening. . .

He stood up, pacing around the area. He thought that his mind may have been playing tricks on him, but when the feeling was growing stronger, he chose not to ignore it. Ever since he had discovered that he could shape-shift, he had been gifted with something that was almost like a sixth sense. The animal instincts that he had grown use to were a cause of that, and because of them, he had usually been able to avoid danger and other obstacles.

Sniffing the air, he realized that there was a familiar, _unwanted_, scent drifting around. A look of horror appeared on Amiamon's face. _That smell belongs to Lamont. . . What's he doing here? _Taking a few steps in the direction where the dark scent was coming from, Amiamon fully opened his ears. He could hear some distant shouts and the sound of metal clashing together along with a bunch of crashing. He also heard a scream.

His eyes widened. "Emily. . ." Amiamon quickly shifted into a cheetah and then raced in the direction of the ten-year-old's house.

Bardroy swung his weapon up in a vertical arc, creating a shield of ice that blocked the large fire attack that was heading towards him. Viola swung her staff around, shooting out random elements of magic whenever she could.

Bardroy counterattacked all of her spells with their opposites as he dodged attacks from Flexis at the same time. There came a few moments where their attacks came too suddenly and he was forced to teleport a few feet away for his own safety. When Flexis charged at him, he jumped high into the air and came down with a strong vertical slash, but it had no effect on Flexis who seemed to be unaffected by every attack that was launched at him.

Suddenly, Lamont stepped forward. "If you two cannot even capture one man, then I should just put an end to you right now. Get out of my way. I can handle the rest, seeing clearly that you two are not capable of such a task."

Viola and Flexis quickly stepped off to the side and let Lamont walk past them, his deadly ax in hand. He stepped forward with such calmness that it made the atmosphere around them feel even more uncomfortable.

Bardroy carefully charged at him first, making sure to watch all of Lamont's movements closely. Lamont easily dodged all of Bardroy's attacks. At one moment, when Bardroy swung his weapon around, the thirteen-year-old stopped the blade with the palm of his hand. He swiftly drove the hatchet into Bardroy's shoulder, deep enough that it dug into his scapula.

Emily screamed when she saw her father get wounded. He staggered backward, attempting to pull the weapon out of his body, when Flexis came charging in out of nowhere and knocked him to the ground. Before he could even try to get onto his feet, Flexis pinned him down. Lamont paced over to him and then bent over.

He was still smiling. He placed his hand on the handle of his hatchet and then forcefully yanked it out of Bardroy's shoulder. Lamont lowered the bloody weapon and then began, "Unless you want this weapon stuck in your daughter's skull, then I suggest that you answer our questions." He sighed and then continued. "We know that Sora has been here before. When is he coming back?"

Bardroy shook his head. "I don't know."

"Is that so? Maybe this will reassure you. . ." Lamont's gaze slid over towards Emily. He hadn't even taken one step towards the little girl when Bardroy started speaking again. "I don't know where is Sora and the others are. They were supposed to be heading back here but they haven't come by yet. I swear to god, if I knew they were here, so would you."

Lamont stood still for a moment, debating whether or not what Bardroy said was true. Finally, his smile turned into a frown. "I can tell that you are not lying. . . But either way, my orders were to kill you and the girl. I think I will kill her first just because it would be amusing to watch your face as she is hopelessly killed."

The look on Bardroy's face was one of rage. "You sick bastard! If you even lay a finger on her, I swear to god that I'll kill you! I mean it!"

Lamont paused once again. A small smirk was forming on his lips. "Kill me? Do you really think you could? I cannot die." He chuckled for a moment before continuing to walk ahead. Each time Lamont stepped towards her, Emily took a fearful step back.

Bardroy quickly pulled his legs back suddenly and then kicked Flexis in the face. Before Viola could intervene, he summoned his Keyblade and pointed it at her. "Stop!" he commanded, the purple-haired girl halting instantly. He charged at Lamont after that. He slashed at the boy horizontally and then, without a trace, Lamont disappeared.

Emily gasped and then looked around the area. She was surprised just as much as her father was. When she looked over at Bardroy, that's when she saw it.

Lamont was just a couple yards behind him. His smile was crazed. He held up the weapon he was carrying and then threw it with force.

Emily saw the hatchet long before she could scream. "Daddy! Behin~"

She was too late.

Bardroy stumbled a step forward and then paused. And expression of shock and confusion was on his face. He blinked twice and then slowly lifted his one hand, as if he were going to rub his head, but he before he could, he collapsed to the ground face-first. The amount of blood that pooled around him on the ground grew bigger and bigger.

Emily's widened eyes quickly flooded with tears. When she saw the hatchet sticking out of the back of her father's head, she began to sob in horror. She fell to the ground in terror, her whole body trembling. Her father's eyes were still open, but they were empty. Lifeless.

"Emily!"

The ten-year-old's head looked over her shoulder at Amiamon who was suddenly there. "Come on!" he was shouting. "Come on!" He grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet. The last thing she saw before Amiamon carried her off into the woods was Lamont pulling the hatchet out of the back of her father's head and then heading their way.

"Ryan, where are we?"

"I'm not sure. . . But it's better than the Kavern."

"But where are we going to go? Where are we going to live?"

Ryan sighed and came to a stop. He stood in front of his two brothers and said, "Listen. . . I know that it's going to be odd being on our own and all, but we'll make it. Don't worry. We're all together and that's what matters."

Taylor lowered. "But what about Lee and Amiamon. . ?"

Zack whimpered. "What about Dad. . ?"

Ryan bit his lip. "I. . . I know that we've lost a lot, but we still can't lose hope. Dad and Lee and even Amiamon wouldn't want us to be wasting our time mourning. We need to move on." He knew that it was hard enough for him to let his father and brothers go, but he knew that it had to have been even harder for Zack and Taylor. He wrapped his arms around his two brothers and embraced them tightly. "I'm sorry. . . But I promise you that everything will be all right." He stood up again and waited for his brothers to wipe the tears from their eyes before continuing. "This just looks like an ordinary forest. . . Maybe we could find a cave or something to stay in for the time being."

"A cave?" Zack and Taylor blinked.

"We don't have anywhere else to go, now do we? A cave is just as good a place as any to stay."

"Or," Taylor began, "we could just go to that cabin we passed earlier."

"Wait." Ryan stopped them. "You saw a cabin? Why didn't you say anything!?"

"I didn't want to interrupt you," Taylor told him. "You were in the middle of a conversation."

"You idiot!" Zack yelled.

"You would interrupt me any other time!" Ryan shouted.

"But you were having a moment. . ."

"You're going to have a moment if you don't show me where that cabin is!" Ryan threatened.

"Okay! Okay! Just calm down. I'll take you to the house." The three of them spun around and started heading in the direction in which they came. Once they walked for a few minutes, Ryan made them stop.

"Wait. Did you hear that?"

"What?" Zack asked.

Ryan narrowed his eyes. "It sounded like someone was screaming. . . A girl."

The two younger Thompson brothers listened for a moment and then nodded. They had heard it too. "Think we should go check it out?" Taylor asked, summoning his weapon.

"I think we should. Whoever's screaming could be in real trouble." Zack put his hand on the hilt of his sword. "And when a damsel is in distress, it's my job to save them."

Taylor sighed. "You'll never get a girlfriend."

"Who asked you?"

"I was just stating the truth."

"Shut up!"

"That's enough," Ryan snapped in a harsh tone. "We'll just advance towards where it's coming from very slowly. . . and _quietly_." His Keyblade was gripped tightly by his side as he took the lead next to Taylor and headed towards where his brother claimed the cabin was.

Amiamon was still running full speed by the time he was about a mile away from the cabin. Emily was still safely secure in his arms. He refused to let Lamont get to her. He was too late for her father, but he would never let Lamont touch her.

Never.

There was another odd smell in the air so Amiamon quickly slid to a stop. He lowered Emily to her feet so he could regain some of the used up strength in his arms. Tears were still sliding down her cheeks, but not as much as they once were. She wiped her reddened eyes, trying to stop the tears. Her breathing was still irregular, coming out in occasional sobs.

"Ryan. . . Zack. . . and Taylor too. . ." Amiamon mumbled, sniffing the air. "What are they doing here. . ? Dumbasses must have followed me here. . . That just makes things more complicated." He turned back to Emily who had erupted into a fit of sobs again. He didn't know what he could possibly do to calm her down, so he did the first thing he thought of.

He knelt down and hugged her tightly. "It's okay. . . Shh. . . Everything will be all right. . ." Emily hugged him back and sniffled.

"Amiamon. . . Thank you. . ."

"I'm sorry that I couldn't help your. . ." His voice trailed off and he cursed himself for almost mentioning what was the cause of her tears.

"It's not your fault. . ." She pulled away from him and wiped some more tears from her eyes. "You could have never known they were coming. . ."

"If I had been more observant about it then I could have."

"You're too hard on yourself. . . You're not to blame. . . so stop acting like you're the one who killed him. . ." Emily told him softly.

Amiamon lowered his head and then sighed sadly. He took Emily's hand in his own and said gently, "Let's get of here. . . We can wait out the enemies and then head back to your house. They came for Sora, so I doubt they'll stay long. I promise that I'll protect you, do you understand me?"

Emily nodded and squeezed his hand. "Thank you. . ."

With silence, the three siblings continued forward. Every so often, Sora would look over his shoulder, hoping to see Sam or Sora Lee trailing behind them, but he knew that it wasn't possible. Kiari had taken both of them away so quickly that it was still hard to process that they were gone for good.

Savannah was glancing around also, searching for either her younger sister or her twin brother. She hated the gloomy depression that had settled over the group, but she didn't know what she could possibly say to brighten the mood. So she just decided to keep her thoughts to herself and continue along.

Sanji was lost. His heart was lingering on the edge of either falling into anger or despair. Finally, he had _finally _found people he could trust. Sam was his little sister. . . And he had let her die. His heart was aching with pure agony. He desperately tried to rid himself of the nightmarish thoughts, but nothing seemed to work. He had struck down his younger brother and let his little sister die at the hands of evil. A dark, sad frown was placed upon Sanji's face at that moment. Nothing ever worked out for him in the end. Nothing at all.

He often wondered where Ryan and his group were. Did they escape? He tried to dismiss the thoughts of them, but for some reason, they kept wandering back to his mind. _Ryan_ kept wandering back to his mind.

The silence continued on and on until Savannah was the first one to break it. "How do you suppose Uncle Bardroy will react to the news. . ?"

Sora's eyes slid over to his sister. He shrugged. "I don't know. . . He'll probably be shocked. . ." He sighed sadly. "I guess that all we can do now is wait. . . I'm not sure what to do anymore. . ." Sora trudged along. Sanji was still silent. He hadn't said a word to them after he had met up with them. Not one single word.

Sora knew that something was probably nagging at his brain and the loss of Lee and Sam was just making it worse for him. He wanted to say something, but he was afraid that Sanji would lash out again.

They were close to their uncle's now, but for some reason, Sora was getting that odd feeling like something bad happened. He prayed that the was wrong, but just from the look that had appeared on Sanji's face, he could tell that his brother was getting that same feeling. "Hey. . . Sanji?"

The look that Sanji sent him back showed that he understood. "Yeah, I feel it too. Stay behind me. . . Oh shit. . ."

Sora looked ahead and could see the door to their uncle's house was hanging open as if it had been busted from the hinges. Savannah gasped. "Oh no. . ."

The three of them charged towards the house. They entered the house cautiously. When the coast seemed clear, Sanji called out, "Uncle Bardroy! Emily! Are you here?" They checked the first floor quickly and then Savannah examined the basement. She came back up the stairs and shook her head.

"Maybe they're upstai~" Sanji cut Sora off when he slapped a hand over his younger brother's mouth. They could hear the creaking of the floorboards, which meant that someone was up there stepping on them.

"Someone's upstairs. . ." Sanji whispered. He put his fingers to his lips and then pointed to the staircase. He went first, Sora behind him, and Savannah bringing up the back. They weren't even up that stairs yet when somebody shouted,

"Wait! Wait! Don't attack us!"

At the top of the stairs was Zack and Taylor, waving their arms madly. Sanji was about to lunge at them, but from the look on their faces, they were more frightened than guilty.

Sora blinked and stepped ahead of his older brother. "You two? What are you doing here?"

"We were just passing by when we came across this house. . . We didn't know who it belonged to," Zack explained. "We swear!"

Sora looked around. "Where's the other one? Where's Ryan?"

"He went to check the perimeter. He insisted that we stay here. . . No one was home when we came by so he just told us to stay here while he checked things out," Taylor said.

"Well, we're here now, so get out," Sanji told him. "You have no right to be here." He grabbed the two boys by the wrists and then dragged them down the stairs. Savannah stopped him before he could reach the front door.

"Wait," she began. "That doesn't help us at all. Before you throw these two out, why don't we question them?"

"But we don't know anything," Taylor began, but Zack silenced him.

Sanji stepped forward. "Okay then. How did you find this place?"

"We just were trying to find somewhere to stay when we came across this house. We thought that maybe it was abandoned. . ." Zack answered.

"Abandoned?" Sanji questioned. "It wouldn't be in this good of order if it was left to rot."

"Ryan said that too. . ." Zack frowned. "But still, we didn't know that this was your house."

"We don't live here," Savannah stated. "Our uncle and his daughter live here. Do you know where they've gone?"

The two Thompson brothers shook their heads. "Like we said, no one was here when we arrived."

Sanji shook his head. "This is ridiculous. Where do you think they went?"

Sora shrugged. "They could have just went for a stroll. . ."

"Then explain the door."

Zack stated, "The door was like that when we got here."

Savannah's face filled with worry. "Do you think they were captured?"

"They couldn't have been. . ." Sanji bit his lip and thought for a moment. "But then. . . What else could have happened to them?"

Zack and Taylor noticed the worry in the three people's voices as they spoke with each other. Reassuringly, Taylor said, "Maybe Ryan found something out. You could always ask him about it when he gets back."

"That's what we'll have to do," Sanji told them. "I doubt they have anything to do with what's happening. They had left the Kavern long before Sam or Lee. . ."

"That's what you said before," Sora cut in. "So, it must be true. I guess that. . . Well, I guess that you could be our allies." Even though the three brothers had been the ones who had murdered their father, Sora realized that holding grudges would get no one anywhere. The only way to move on was to let some things so and form alliances. Sora smiled at the two boys. "I'm sorry for treating you guys so cruelly before. You and your brother may not be the easiest people to trust, but still, I think that we can work together if it means finding our uncle and cousin."

Zack took a step forward. "We'll help you as much as we can. I promise that we aren't holding any secrets from you."

Zack held out his hand and Sora took it, shaking it firmly. "For now, we're allies."

The ebony-haired boy smiled. "Let's get moving. We can probably find Ryan around here somewhere. If we call out to him, he's bound to come running."

Sora and his now group of five stepped out of the cabin, only to freeze in place at the sight they saw in front of them.

Lamont and all of the other pawns that worked for Kiari were standing just outside of the house. Other than them standing there just in front of them, two things stuck out.

A hatchet was gripped in Lamont's hand, blood and even small pieces of flesh still stuck on the blade.

And they had Ryan.

Zack and Taylor stared at the group in front of them in horror. "Ryan!" they cried. They went to rush towards him, but Sanji quickly grabbed them both by the back of their shirts and forced them back.

Ryan looked up at his brothers. Various patches of blood soaked through his shirt, but none of his injuries seemed fatal. "Zack! Taylor! Run! Don't try to fight them! You'll~"

"Silence!" Lamont ordered. Flexis smacked Ryan across the face with his large fist and forced him to fall silent. Licking some of the blood off the blade of the ax, Lamont stepped forward.

Sora and everyone else immediately readied their weapons. Lamont continued towards them, his familiar smile still on his face. "Come now, why continue this unnecessary game? If you surrender yourselves now, then it will be easier for all of us. You will not have to waste the energy struggling to stay alive and we will not have to waste our precious time."

"We'll never surrender ourselves!" Sora yelled. "If you want us, come and get us!"

Lamont shrugged. "I love bloodshed, so it does not matter to me. I relished killing your uncle. I wonder how fun it will be with you."

Sora, Savannah, and Sanji all froze for a moment. The blonde reacted first. "You bastards. . ." The anger that he was trying to control was quickly unleashed, and Sanji was charging after them.

"Sanji! Wait!" Sora called, but he knew that he wasn't going to get through to him. He was entering a stage of madness. Fire blocked off the view that he had of his enemies and he knew that the battle had started.

Ryan bit his lip. The last thing that he had wanted was Zack and Taylor to be caught up in the middle of a bloodbath. He had spotted the group that worked for Kiari, but before he could get away from them, they captured him.

Other than Flexis who was the one restraining him, there were four of them: Crystalina, Viola, Amalia, and definitely the worst; Lamont. The other three were strong, but their power didn't compare to Lamont's. Sometimes he thought that the thirteen-year-old boy wasn't human. . . Glancing around Ryan saw that the four pawns had gone and engaged in battle. His eyes wildly skimmed the area looking for his brothers. Fire was burning the trees and the grass on the ground, so smoke was beginning to cloud the area. He looked up at the Flexis who was hardly paying any attention to his task. Ryan formed a plan in his head to get away from the brute, but before he could put his plan into action, Sanji came out of nowhere, kicking Flexis firmly in the head.

The large boy pulled away quickly, putting one of his oversized hands on his head and rubbing it. Sanji wondered what the boy's secret was; even the top of his head felt as if it were made of rock.

Ryan pulled away from Flexis as soon he was released from his grip. "Come on!" Sanji shouted to him and the two of them ran into the protection of the trees. The smoke had gotten worse and Ryan could barely breathe. Sanji took his by the arm and then lead him through the dark puffs of smoke until they were far enough away. Ryan gasped for a breath of fresh air. He shook his head and then looked up at Sanji, a small smile forming on his lips.

"Thanks," he told him.

Sanji shrugged. "Don't thank me. . . I wasn't even trying to save you. I. . ." He clutched the fabric of his clothing just above his heart. "I. . . I have a Darkness inside of me that likes to take over me. . . It gets out of control once in awhile when I'm angry. . . I wouldn't have charged at Flexis if it weren't for that. . ."

Ryan blinked and then went on, "It doesn't matter. You helped me, and for that I'm grateful. I owe you one."

"No. . . You don't. . ." Sanji went to walk away but Ryan put his hand on the blonde's shoulder. He blinked his blue eyes.

"Thank you," he said sincerely. "I can already tell that I'm not as strong as you, so I couldn't have possibly pulled away from Flexis as easily as you did. I don't care if you don't except my thanks, but still, you helped me and I appreciate it."

Sanji's heart skipped a beat. Ryan's touch was so gentle compared to all the others who had laid their hands on him. He was used to being treated roughly, but Ryan's soft touch made him freeze. His felt his heartbeat quicken, and he couldn't understand why. Again, he clutched his heart. "The Darkness in my heart never leaves. . . I've tried to let it go. . . But whatever I do, it keeps coming back. . . I have. . ." Sanji's hand slid over towards his one arm and he squeezed it tightly instead. "I have too many dark memories. . ."

Ryan's face seemed to soften. "I understand. . . I have memories that I'd rather forget about too. Darkness lingers in every heart, but you need Light to smother that Darkness out. My brothers are my brightest Lights. They help me through a lot."

"I try not to embrace the Light. . ." Sanji's gaze slipped to the ground. "The last time I trusted the Light, it betrayed me. . . It wasn't there when I needed it most. . . After that, everything was dark. . . I had nothing to believe in."

Ryan pulled his hand away from Sanji's shoulder and stood up straight, a sudden look of curiosity appearing on his face. "I'm not one to pry. . . But maybe if you talk about your past, then you'll feel better."

Sanji's face seemed to go pale. His whole body stiffened within seconds. "I-I can't." His green eyes darted around the area, as if he were being watched. Ryan looked around the area, but no one was in sight and he was positive that no one was spying on them. "I-I can't tell you," Sanji stammered. "I can't tell you. . . He told me not to. . ." Sanji bit his lip, remembering the treacherous threats that he had been told. He knew well what would happen if he ever revealed anything about what had happened to him. When he thought about the warnings and threats, his whole being trembled in fear.

Ryan saw the change in his expression. "Hey. . ." He placed his hand back onto Sanji's shoulder. "Are you all right?" The blonde's composure had gone from one full of attitude to one full of fear and terror. Ryan furrowed his brow. _Just the thought of his past makes him cringe in fright. . . I wonder what happened to him?_

Sanji managed a shaky smile and stepped out of Ryan's reach. "I'm sorry. . . I'd rather not talk about. . ." If it were even possible, Sanji's face grew even whiter.

Ryan quickly responded, "No, I'm sorry. . . I shouldn't have brought it up. . . Forget I said anything. . ."

"You shouldn't have to apologize. You're not the one to blame. . ." Sanji's eyes were cast towards the ground, but this time, they were full of complete guilt. "I am. . ."

The oldest Thompson boy blinked. He was about to speak but Sanji cut him off. "We'd better get moving if we plan to get out of here."

"But~"

"Let's go." Sanji slowly started off, Ryan following behind him. Another thought shortly crossed his mind.

"Hey, I didn't see your younger sister with the group you were in. Where was. . ." Ryan's voice trailed off and his eyes widened in shock. "No. . . They didn't~"

Sanji glanced at him. "Who would have known that someone like Sam would have a heart pure enough to open up Kingdom Hearts? We had no idea. . . And apparently, neither did she. Lamont stole her heart and in the process, killed her." Then, clenching his fists and narrowing his eyes, he cursed, "That damn Lamont. . . When I get my hands on that bastard I'll~"

"You can't expect to fight him yourself. . . He's a monster when it comes to combat," Ryan told him. "He'll kill you!"

"I'm a monster too, you know. I don't care if he kills me or not," Sanji said. "It may be for the best. . ."

Ryan went to speak again, but Sanji avoided every comment or question that was said. When they got closer to the battlefield, Ryan stopped him. "If you're fighting Lamont, then let me help you."

"No."

"Why not?" Ryan folded his arms. Sanji couldn't help but to notice how much his muscles were packed in his arms, let alone his entire torso.

"There's no point for you to try and help me. I don't want to drag someone like you down with me. You have something to continue living for. I don't."

"That's not true," Ryan protested. "What about your family? Think about Sora and Savannah. They'll be heartbroken if they lose you."

"Yeah right." Sanji shook his head. "No one needs me. I could disappear into thin air and I bet that no one would notice."

"I would."

The oldest Davidson boy blinked. "Why?"

"You're the first friend I've ever had. . ." Ryan sighed. "I've never had a chance to make real friends being where I've lived."

Sanji couldn't find words to say. Friend? The word was basically new for him.

Ryan continued, "So that's why I'm saying that you just can't throw your life away for nothing. I've seen the way that Sora looks at you. He believes in you. He looks up to you. Trust me, I get that look from my brothers all the time. If something happened to me, it would shatter their hearts. Sora and Savannah wouldn't know what to do if you were killed."

Sanji sighed. "Zack and Taylor are your brothers, so why would you put your own life on the line for me and risk not protecting them?"

"If Lamont is taken down then I won't have to worry as much about my brothers being hurt," Ryan replied smartly. "And, you'd have a better chance at winning if I joined you. Two heads are better than one."

Sanji sighed deeply, defeated. If Ryan hadn't backed away at this point, then he never would. "Fine, I'll let you help me. But, you'd better not die."

"Aye, aye," Ryan smiled.

Sanji smiled back at him as the two of them prepared themselves as they headed off to where they figured Lamont was fighting. This time, the smile wasn't forced.

Lamont was tossing weapons of all sorts left and right. Twice had a spear and a hatchet almost found its way into Sora's head. He tried to swing his weapon around and attempt to injure some of the enemies around him, but he was having no luck. Savannah was having her own problems; two of the girls had her cornered and she was thankfully able to dodge their attacks. Zack and Taylor were defending themselves from Crystalina. Flexis was wandering around, attacking whoever he saw.

Sora glanced over at Lamont and saw Ryan and Sanji charging towards him. The Thompson boy came from the left and the Davidson came from the right. Lamont simply shook his head and put up his hand to halt Ryan's blade. Sanji lifted his leg up high, ready for a powerful kick, but it did no good, for Lamont had easily stopped his foot too. Giving Ryan a quick shove backward, Lamont gripped Sanji's ankle and then lifted him off of his feet. He flung him over his head and then sent him smashing down into the earth.

Sanji spit blood out his mouth and gasped for the breath that had been knocked out of him. Ryan was the next to strike, but fail miserably. The two tried and tried, but their hope of overpowering Lamont was starting to dissolve.

Savannah avoided an attack by Amalia's sword and glanced over to see her brother get knocked back onto the ground violently by a club that Lamont had seemed to have pull of out nowhere. The same ended up happening to Ryan, except it sent him into the air before he landed on the ground. "Sanji! Ryan!" she screamed. When the two of them didn't get back up, Savannah's heart lurched with pain and guilt.

Her brother had always been the one to protect her before. He always had made sure that she was protected or content before himself, and she never could do anything in return for him. She hated watching everyone else fight while she stood on the side lines. No, this time she was going to fight.

Lamont had sent Sanji and Ryan to the ground many times, but this time, it looked as if he were done with then. "You two are pathetic," the demonic boy jeered. "I have had enough fun with you. It is time for you to die." Out of the large book he easily balanced in his left arm, he pulled out a large longsword and held it up high. Even though the sword was a lot taller and definitely heavier than himself, he lifted it without any trouble at all. A disturbing evil look was in his eyes as he stated, "Now, thou shall become sacrifices for the Dark Lord!" He went to swing the sword downward and just by the size of the blade anyone could tell that it would be able to cut through a body without delay.

"Stop!" Suddenly, Savannah found herself lunging forward with a weapon that had suddenly appeared in her hand without warning. It blocked the sword that was going to chop Ryan and Sanji in half and then was swung at Lamont who quickly took a step back. For once, Lamont actually looked surprised. He eyed the weapon that was in Savannah's hand and grumbled,

"Ugh. . . Another Keyblade. The damn radiance that lingers on those things is starting to infuriate me."

Sanji and Ryan both scrambled onto their feet and were baffled by the sight of what was in Savannah's hand. "You can wield a Keyblade?" her older brother asked. "Since when?"

"I'm not sure," Savannah shrugged. "It just sort of came. . ."

"Sanji! Savannah!" Sora called, running over to them. "Are you two all right?" When he saw his older sister holding a new Keyblade, he gasped happily. "You can weild a Keyblade too!?"

"Looks like it. . . But the only problem is that I don't really know how to fight. . ."

"You'll learn," Sora told her cheerfully. "Just listen to your heart. It's almost like the Keyblade listens to you when you're confused or lost."

Savannah smiled. "Okay. I'll have to try." Her attention turned back to Ryan who was eying her weapon. She blushed as his eyes locked onto hers. She knew that this was her chance. She stepped closer to Ryan and then wrapped her arms around his muscly torso. "I'm glad you're safe," she told him, pressing her body firmly against his and squeezing him tightly.

Seeing his sister hugging Ryan like that made a pang of jealously hit Sanji's heart, but he couldn't understand why. He didn't know if he envied his sister hugging Ryan, or _Ryan_ hugging _her_. He wanted to make a rude comment, but he forced himself to just snort angrily to himself instead. It wasn't Savannah's fault that Ryan was handsome.

The two finally pulled away. Sora sent a glare to Lamont who was surprisingly glaring back at them; just from how Lamont had been since he'd first saw him, he fully expected him to be smiling. "This is taking too bloody long. You," Lamont pointed to the rest of his group, "I suggest that you start fighting more fiercely or else some of you will not be returning to the Kavern. I will make sure of that."

His threat seemed to get the other four moving. As they were charging at them, Sanji told Sora, "Ryan and I are working on taking down Lamont. If you can keep the others at bay with Savannah and those two other idiots," he motioned his head towards Zack and Taylor who were just about to enter battle once again, "then maybe can gain an advantage."

Sora nodded. "Okay. I'll try. Just be careful." His brother nodded at him and then went back to trying to overpower Lamont. But still, as confident as they were, a thought was still lingering at the back of Sora's mind. _Please. . . Please let us get through this safe. . . If anyone else dies. . . No, I can't be thinking that way! We're all gonna survive this! We have to! I promise that I won't let any more of my family or comrades die!_

Lamont ran at Sanji and Ryan first, this time, holding two longswords in his hands. The boy slashed at them swiftly, and the two of them were forced to dodge endlessly, only getting a few seconds to strike each time.

But finally, Sanji did a handstand and kicked one of the weapons out of Lamont's hands. "Ryan, now!"

Ryan quickly made his move. He thrust his Keyblade back and then plunged it through Lamont's body. The black-haired boy stopped dead in his tracks. A shocked expression came upon his face as blood trickled down his chin. But, almost as fast as his expression of shock had come, it was replaced by his usual smile.

Sanji and Ryan froze when he spoke. They couldn't understand how he was still able to form words let alone breathe easily and move. "Well done. I have to admit that I am impressed. Most cannot injure me so easily. I do give you credit, but unfortunately for you, you need to inflict a lot more damage before you can hurt me." Lamont put his hand on Ryan's blade and yanked it out of himself.

Ryan released his Keyblade, his mouth hanging open. How could Lamont still possibly be alive? There was no way that Lamont was human. He had to be something else. . .

Sanji was thinking the same thing. The menacing pawn that worked for Kiari was of another race. He was nowhere near being human.

Tossing Ryan's bloody Keyblade aside, Lamont bent over and picked up his dropped longsword. As quickly as he had smiled, his blade was being aimed at Sanji.

Blood was soaking Sanji's shirt before he even knew what was going on. He blinked and then eyed Ryan who was in front of him, a sword protruding out of his back. The blood that was seeping through Sanji's clothes belonged to Ryan. He had taken the hit. He had protected him.

Before Ryan could hit the ground, Sanji quickly caught him and retreated back a few feet. He slowly knelt on the ground, Ryan's head resting on his knee. Sanji couldn't find anything to say. No words would form on his lips. He was completely silent.

Zack had come to an immediate pause and was staring in horror just across from where they were. Taylor stepped over to him. "What's wrong Za. . ." His voice trailed off and his eyes widened immensely. "No. . ." They called out to their older brother and raced over to where his blood was mixing with the grass.

"Ryan!" they cried. "No! This can't be happening!"

He was still alive, but just hardly. His eyes were glazing over and he  
was staring up at Sanji who was silently staring down at him. His gaze slid over to his brothers who were crying hysterically. "Ryan! You can't die! You can't!" Taylor screamed.

"Get up! You have to! You can't do this Ryan! You can't leave us too!" Zack wailed. "I won't let you die! Please! Please!" The two boys hugged their brother firmly and refused to let go over his bloody body.

Sanji took in shaky breath. He ran a hand down Ryan's cheek, spreading the blood that was already splashed onto his face. His body was growing paler and his heavy breathing was growing more shallow. Ryan weakly lifted his one arm and took Sanji's hand from his cheek. He whimpered in pain for a moment and then said quietly, "S-sorry. . . I. . . didn't. . . w-want. . . to watch. . . you. . . die. . ." His hand dropped from Sanji's and then his head tilted to the side. He took one more shallow breath and then his eyes closed. He was dead.

"Ryan _no_!" Zack and Taylor cried. "_No_!"

Time seemed to stop ticking. Tears were falling down Sanji's cheeks as well. The pain he was feeling in his heart was the worst yet. He couldn't understand why Ryan had given his life up for him so willingly. How could he?

Sora looked over and saw what had happened. _No. . . Damn it. . . This can't be happening. . . Ryan. . . _

Lamont was smirking to himself. He held out his two weapons, one of them still blanketed in Ryan's blood. "One down, five more to go. I think I shall start with you two because you are the weakest of the bunch." He pointed his weapon at Zack and Taylor whose eyes widened. Their tears were still spilling down their cheeks in buckets.

Sanji made sure to lie Ryan's head gently onto the ground, but before he could, his body began to glow. A bright Light shone and then his body disappeared. Several shimmering sparkles floating in the air where his body had once been, but then when they died away, he was gone. Zack and Taylor gasped. "What? Where'd he go. . ? Where'd Ryan go!?"

Sanji shook his head when Zack and Taylor looked at him. He honestly didn't know. His guess was that Ryan was sent to paradise. If there was a paradise, that was.

When he saw Lamont advancing towards the two remaining Thompson brothers, Sanji quickly grabbed a fistful of their clothing and dragged them off. "You two need to get out of here now! Lamont will kill you if you don't!"

"But what about Ryan! We can't just~"

Sanji cut Taylor off. "He's dead! The last thing he would've wanted were you two to be dragged down with him! There's nothing you two can do. . . Just get out here while you still have the chance. . ."

"But. . ." Zack looked at Taylor and they both shook their heads. "We don't have anywhere else to go. . ."

Sanji felt a jolt of guilt rush into his system. He could see that by the look in their eyes that they were right. They were lost; abandoned. They didn't have a family to return to. Ryan was all they had and now he was gone too. They were homeless.

He was about to speak to Ryan's brothers when a blur of movement caught him off guard. Without warning, Lamont was suddenly behind the two brothers in front of him. He was already swinging his blade. Before he could process what he was doing, Sanji grabbed Zack and Taylor by the collar of their shirts and then yanked them out of the way. The longsword swung around and the tip just reached his neck, cutting a slice.

Sanji stumbled backward into a tree and then slid down to the ground, clutching the slice on his throat.

"Sanji!" Sora and Savannah were finally able to make their way over to him. When Sora saw the amount of blood that was starting to cover Sanji's clothes, his face went white. He had never seen so much blood at once. He glanced over at Savannah who was struggling not to cry.

Sanji's throat had been sliced. A deep cut dug into the side of his neck and the whole way around the front.

Sora took deep breaths. "Savannah. . ?" he asked slowly.

Her one had was cupped over her mouth. "His. . . his jugular has been sliced in half. . ." she answered slowly.

"Jugular. . ." Sora knew that it was the main artery in the neck and that if it was sliced, then survival was almost impossible. "Sanji. . . Can you speak?"

The blonde glanced at him with his dull green eyes. He opened his mouth to speak but when he did, torrents of blood spilled out.

Sora managed a wavering smile. "Don't worry," he tried to say reassuringly. "We'll all be fine. You're gonna be just fine. . ." Just saying the words were making his heart ache in agony. He knew that it was a lie, but he wanted it to be true. With all his heart, he wished for it to be true. But he knew that it wasn't to be.

Sora turned his head away from everyone, hoping that they didn't see the tears in his eyes. He didn't want to cry, but lately, his emotions were getting the best of them. He couldn't control his pain.

"S-Sora. . ." Sanji's voice was faint, but Sora still could hear him. "It's okay. . . You-You can cry. . ." He gave his younger brother a shaky thumbs up.

Sora smiled back at him, tears falling down his cheeks. Savannah burst into tears and wrapped her arms around her brother who was just barely clinging onto life. Sora joined in on the hug too. "I'm sorry. . ." he sobbed. "I'm sorry. . ."

Sanji would have tried to embrace them back, but all of the strength had been erased from his body. He couldn't even move his fingers.

Sora pulled away and wiped tears from his eyes when his brother's body grew cold. Sanji was dead. All he had left was Savannah. And Lamont was stepping towards them again.

_We can't fight this guy. . . He killed Sanji. . . He killed Ryan. . . We can't win. . . _Sora glanced at Savannah who was looking at him.

"What do we do?" she asked.

The spiky-haired boy bit his lip. "I. . . I don't know. . ." he admitted. As much as he detested it, he knew that they had to run. If they didn't, they'd die. But, he also knew that if they ran, it was likely that they were going to get caught. But they had to do something.

Zack and Taylor were there too. That made another problem. What were they planning on doing, Sora wondered. He whispered to them, "Listen, on three, we're all going to get up and run, okay? You two run in the opposite direction."

Zack and Taylor nodded. Sora quietly counted and then on three, Sora jumped onto his feet and grabbed Savannah's arm. He pulled her to the left and then they began to race through the forest.

Lamont wasn't to be fooled though. "Flexis," he began, but the oaf already knew what he had to do. He took a step forward and then vanished.

Sora and Savannah gasped and slid to a stop when the brute appeared in front of them. "Look out!" Sora shouted when he saw Flexis's fist heading towards them, but it was too late. Flexis's fist hit Savannah directly in the chest and his elbow slammed into Sora's torso, sending both of them flying. Sora landed with a thud on the ground and groaned in pain. He knew that his body would most likely be badly bruised later on. He shook his head and then looked over at Savannah who was struggling to get onto her hands and knees. Sora stood up and went to run over to help her up, but right when he got onto his feet, a sword went through her body.

His eyes went wide and Sora staggered. "No!" The sword belonged to Amalia, one of the girls who was attacking them before. Lamont was standing just to the side, smiling. "Very well done. Now, we can forget about those Thompson boys for now. They will not cause any threat. Right now, our main priority is Sora. Kiari will be pleased once we retrieve him and take him to her."

With all of his heart, Sora hoped that Savannah was still alive. But, when his eyes locked onto her body, she wasn't moving at all. Her chest wasn't moving up and down which indicated that she wasn't breathing.

Sora's heart almost shattered instantly. "No. . ." He clenched his fists. "This can't be happening. . ." His Keyblade appeared in his hand as anger took over his heart. He ran at Lamont, ready to strike. He whipped his Keyblade around but Lamont just dodged. Realizing that trying to take down Lamont was a waste of time, he moved on to the others. He slashed violently at the girl who had killed his sister and then swung once at Viola who was attempting to help Amalia. When Crystalina slashed at him horizontally, Sora ducked and sword only missed him by what was probably only an inch.

At the last moment, Flexis wrapped his arms around Sora's body and then shoved him to the ground and pinned him down. Lamont let one of his longswords linger over Sora's body. "If you try to escape, then you may find this blade stabbed through your body."

"You won't kill me," Sora hissed, knowing to well that Kiari wanted him. "Kiari will kill you if you do."

"Smart boy," Lamont laughed. "But still, we have you. There's no way you can escape. We killed all of your friends. You have nothing left to return to."

Sora's bold face turned into one full of sadness. If anything, Lamont was right. Nothing else mattered. Everything that he held dear was gone. His friends, his family, his one and only love. . . There was only one more thing that was left for Sora to do.

Surrender.

But, after everything he'd been through. After all of his struggling and all of his fighting, he couldn't just give up. There had to be another option. He stared at the brute that was holding him down and at the sword that was lingering over his body.

He caught his own reflection off of the sword and then somehow came up with an idea. His heart protested against it, but what he thought of was the only way to get away. It was the only way to free himself from Kiari's clutches. If she got her hands on him, the world would be in even worse ruin.

Taking a deep breath, Sora readied himself. He knew exactly what he had to do.

He detested his choice, but it was the only way left. His anger doubled towards the Darkness and his heart ached in agony, but there was only one path left for him.

Sora summoned his Keyblade quickly in his opposite hand to catch Flexis off guard and then smacked the brute on the side of the head. It may not have been that effective, but it caught him off guard long enough for Sora to free himself. He grabbed onto the blade of the longsword lingering just above his stomach, not caring about his now sliced fingers. With a hard, downward thrust, Sora let the blade stab through his body.

He cried out even though he had prepared himself for the pain. He gave the weapon another push, stabbing himself even deeper.

The look on Lamont's face was one full of panic. "What the hell are you doing?!" he demanded to know.

Sora smirked, blood rolling down his chin. "I know that Kiari used my sister's heart to reveal Kingdom Hearts to her. . . But she needs my Keyblade to open it. That's another whole reason why she wants me, isn't it?"

The look on Lamont's face proved that he was right.

"Well. . . If I die, then there's no way that she can get into Kingdom Hearts. She can't fill it with Darkness. . . Not if I'm dead. . ." Sora smiled in victory up at Lamont who was gritting his teeth.

"You bloody damn fool!" the thirteen-year-old yelled. "You cannot be serious! What is the point of dying now!? You could have~" The next thing Lamont said was a blur; Sora's hearing was beginning to fail him now. He caught another part what he was saying though: "Viola! Get over here an heal him! The Mistress will~" After that was complete silence.

He knew that even if one of the pawns could heal his wounds, it was far too late. He was going to die. They would have to face the truth. No one could stop his _**sacrifice **_now. His vision was now just a blurry mess of colors, so Sora just decided to close his eyes.

He knew that his choice wasn't the best one, but it did guarantee that the worlds would be safer. With him dead, Kingdom Hearts couldn't be opened, but Kiari would still be alive, causing ruin to land upon the worlds.

_Sanji. . . Savannah. . . Sam. . . I'm glad I met you. . . I know I let you down, but I'm still happy that I got to meet my real family. . . Even you too Sora Lee. . . At least I got to know about who I really was. . . That's a plus. . ._

_Riku. . . I hope I see you real soon. . ._

_I hope I get to see everyone. . ._

With the last of his remaining strength, Sora smiled. He took one last breath before his heart finally stopped and his soul moved on. All he felt was as if his body was moving in a fast motion, but after that, it was nothing but Darkness. . .

_To Be Continued. . ._


End file.
